Where does Maul: Shadow Lord fit into the Star Wars timeline? Sam Witwer reveals the answer

Maul: Shadow Lord is an upcoming animated series in the Star Wars franchise, scheduled to premiere on Disney+ in 2026, according to reports. The series was announced in Tokyo during the Lucasfilm Animation 20th Anniversary panel at Star Wars Celebration 2025. The series is set one year after the events of Star Wars: The Clone Wars Season 7.

Therefore, its place in the overall Star Wars timeline is crucial. It takes place between the conclusion of The Clone Wars and Maul's appearance in Star Wars Rebels, where he is depicted as a broken figure, stripped of the criminal empire he once controlled.

In a recent interview with Collider, Sam Witwer, who is the voice behind Darth Maul, reveals where Maul: Shadow Lord fits into the Star Wars timeline. Read on to learn more.

Where does Maul: Shadow Lord fit into the Star Wars timeline?

The Clone Wars season 7 ended exactly at the fall of the Republic and the rise of the Empire, and Maul escapes from Republic captivity with Tano's help but ends up losing everything— power, armies, control over the galaxy.

When Maul appears again in Star Wars Rebels, he is a shadow of his former self. Isolated and bitter, he is determined to seek revenge against Obi-Wan and the Sith.

In the aftermath of The Clone Wars, Maul is on the run, still driven by revenge and therefore extremely dangerous. Therefore, summing all these up, Maul: Shadow Lord follows Maul rebuilding his criminal empire under the radar of the new Galactic Empire. The series will chronicle the downfall of Maul’s empire, ultimately shaping him into the fractured character seen in Rebels.

Here is what Sam Witwer from Maul: Shadow Lord revealed in the interview

"This is a year after The Clone Wars. You have a situation where everyone got destroyed by the Clones, and Maul's organisation didn't really hold up under that pressure. He still has a group with him, but it's not like it was, and so it was devastating in that way", said Sam Witwer, revealing the timeline of the show.

The actor who voiced Maul, Sam Witwer, explained how Maul was certain that an empire was coming, but was also gauging the possibilities that were not known.

"Everyone is very uncertain. But he is watching an empire that he knew was coming, but he wasn't thinking it was going to be like this. He was in on his master's plan, but only partially. He knew some things, but he didn't know others. So, he knew the Empire was coming, but he didn't expect this."

Maul is a character who has experienced many shades of the Star Wars universe. He starts as a menacing villain, but over time, he becomes something much deeper.

At the Star Wars festival, the audience also got to catch a glimpse of the trailer, after which Witwer also pointed out that the animation and sound design of the show are excellent. This isn’t just Clone Wars 2.0—there’s an intentional shift in "how the world is presented," to reflect Maul’s inner reality.

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"I liked it. I thought it was good. It's nice to give people a taste of what the series is going to be. The visual style, for example, and even the audio, and all that stuff. We're going a little bit further than we've gone before. If you're doing a show where Maul is a point-of-view character, then it necessitates that you take your familiar style, but you tweak it for how he sees the world. So, it's a little bit darker. It's a little bit more dangerous in the way that it looks and sounds and feels."

Clearly, the series is highly anticipated and aims to explore the many facets of Maul’s character. Maul, who isn’t just a villain — he’s a fallen warrior, a victim of the Sith, and a man who never had a chance to be anything else. He’s terrifying, yes, but also heartbreaking in Maul: Shadow Lord.

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