No, Darth Maul Was Never Going to Be in the Obi-Wan Series

No, Darth Maul Was Never Going to Be in the Obi-Wan Series

Not much more than a month ago, a rumour swirled around the upcoming Obi-Wan Kenobi Disney+ show that the titular Jedi’s oldest foe, Darth Maul, had originally been planned to be a part of the series. It was an odd rumour, given everything we’d already heard about the show and because, well, the Kenobi/Maul storyline had already been wrapped up so wonderfully in the Star Wars: Rebels TV show. It was also untrue, apparently.

The rumour came from a Hollywood Reporter story where sources stated that Kenobi director Deborah Chow had pitched a Maul-centric storyline for the series, along with a young Luke playing a larger role as well, before Star Wars TV shepherds Jon Favreau and Dave Filoni nixed it for being too Mandalorian-like. However, in the newest issue of Total Film magazine, Kenobi director Deborah Chow said that Maul was never in the plan for the show, despite those earlier reports to the contrary. “As long as I’ve been involved, we’ve never had Darth Maul in any of it,” Chow explained. “Dave [Filoni] did a beautiful job of telling that story already.” (He really did!)

Honestly, it never made any sense that li’l Luke would have more than a few seconds of screentime with Obi-Wan, given that he famously does not recognise the man in A New Hope. It also never made sense to me that Filoni would want to mess with the Kenobi/Maul story he told through Clone Wars and Rebels, which culminated in what is inarguably the greatest moment in the franchise’s animated canon. Giving the two characters’ story another prequel chapter (since the Kenobi series is set before Rebels) likely wouldn’t add anything, but would have a chance at diminishing the impact of their final showdown.

Which, to be fair, is also a risk that Obi-Wan Kenobi runs in regards to the Jedi’s final fight with Darth Vader. We shall see when the Disney+ series premieres on May 25.

Want more Gizmodo news? Check out when to expect the latest Marvel and Star Wars releases, what’s next for the DC Universe on film and TV, and everything you need to know about House of the Dragon and Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power.


Editor’s Note: Release dates within this article are based in the U.S., but will be updated with local Australian dates as soon as we know more.


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