The official trailer for Star Wars: Maul – Shadow Lord has finally dropped, and it looks like Lucasfilm is about to give Maul the most ambitious chapter of his story yet. The animated series debuts with a two‑episode premiere on Disney+ on April 6, 2026, and then rolls out two episodes a week all the way to a finale on Star Wars Day, May the 4th.

The trailer wastes no time setting the tone: the Lucasfilm logo literally skewered on a lightsaber, a fiery Maul – Shadow Lord title, and Maul lurking in the shadows of the early Empire era on the planet Janix, a world still largely untouched by Imperial rule. In quick, kinetic cuts, we see Maul clashing with Imperial Inquisitors like The Crow (also known as the Eleventh Brother) and Marrok, plus plenty of red‑saber acrobatics that lean into the character’s rage and precision.

Story‑wise, this is set roughly a year after The Clone Wars, in the early days of Emperor Palpatine’s reign, and before Maul’s final fate in Rebels. Maul is trying to rebuild his criminal syndicate from the ground up on Janix, betting on a world outside the Empire’s direct reach while Jedi‑hunting Inquisitors operate in the shadows as “secret mercenaries that show up out of the darkness.”

The emotional hook is Maul’s search for a new apprentice. On Janix, he crosses paths with Devon Izara, a young Twi’lek Jedi Padawan on the run after Order 66, whose entire future has been blown apart. She’s described as conflicted between right and wrong, still innocent in some ways, and very much a character trying to figure out who she is without the Jedi Order—exactly the kind of vulnerability Maul can exploit.

The key art and footage lean into that pulpy, crime‑serial vibe Lucasfilm Animation has been talking about: Maul’s face lit by a blazing red blade, surrounded by allies, enemies, and everyone in between. Around him, we see Jedi Padawan Devon Izara, Jedi Master Eeko‑Dio Daki, Mandalorian warrior Rook Kast, Zabrak brothers Icarus and Scorn, schemer Looti Vario, and a grounded, almost noir‑style trio in Captain Brander Lawson, his droid partner Two‑Boots, and Lawson’s son Rylee, with a Star Destroyer looming overhead.

The cast is stacked with fan‑favorite voices and some big‑name talent: Sam Witwer returns as Maul, Gideon Adlon voices Devon Izara, Wagner Moura plays Captain Brander Lawson, Richard Ayoade is droid Two‑Boots, Dennis Haysbert is Master Eeko‑Dio Daki, Chris Diamantopoulos is Looti Vario, Charlie Bushnell is Rylee Lawson, Vanessa Marshall is Rook Kast, David W. Collins voices Spybot, A.J. LoCascio is Marrok, and Steve Blum plays Icarus. Witwer has been teasing that Maul here is more reflective and strategic, “learning to use words, manipulation, persuasion,” and actually listening to people like Rook Kast, which should add some surprising layers to a character long defined by rage.​

Behind the scenes, this is very much a Dave Filoni project: he created the series and developed it with Matt Michnovetz, with Brad Rau serving as supervising director and a producer lineup that includes Athena Yvette Portillo, Carrie Beck, and Josh Rimes, plus Alex Spotswood as co‑executive producer. The creative team has described Shadow Lord as a fast‑paced, serialized 10‑episode story that leans into the classic film serials that inspired Star Wars in the first place, with Filoni’s mandate to “do everything better” across acting, story, and visuals.

For longtime fans, the timeline is a sweet spot: this is post‑Mandalore, post‑Savage Opress, pre‑Rebels Maul, a period that has mostly lived in hints and side stories so far. That gives Shadow Lord room to explore how Maul processes his failures, his obsession with revenge, and his complicated relationship with the Jedi and the underworld, while potentially tying into comics like Shadow of Maul and other corners of the canon that are already seeding his move into full‑on crime‑lord territory.

If you’re planning your binge, Disney+ will drop two episodes every week starting April 6, 2026, at 12 am PT, with the final two arriving on May 4—Star Wars Day—at 12 am local time. For anyone who’s ever wanted a grimy, underworld‑driven Star Wars story anchored by Maul, this trailer is a pretty clear signal: that age is about to begin.