‘Star Wars: Maul – Shadow Lord’ Season 2 Can Make up for Recasting Maul’s Voice Actor in ‘Solo’

May 23, 2026

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Although most prolifically brought to life by Sam Witwer, Darth Maul has been played in Star Wars by other actors. Witwer only actually inherited the character when he was cast to voice him in a 2012 The Clone Wars episode that saw Maul resurrected. Before then, two other actors played the iconic Zabrak, and only one of them has been back since their debut. There has actually been a very clear chance for both of them to reprise the role, but Star Wars made a U-turn at the last minute. Now, the hit Disney+ series built around the character provides an opening for a deserved franchise comeback.

Maul (then Darth Maul) made his Star Wars debut in 1999’s The Phantom Menace. I immediately found him incredibly cool, and I was devastated when he died so quickly. Thankfully, The Clone Wars‘ decision to resurrect him allowed me to learn far more about Maul in other corners of the Star Wars universe. Shadow Lord has continued his enthralling arc. However, Maul hasn’t just been limited to animated appearances since The Phantom Menace. He’s also had a brief return to live-action, which caused something of a mini casting controversy.

The Original Voice of Darth Maul Was Recorded (But Unused) for the Character’s 2018 ‘Solo’ Cameo

Like several other Star Wars characters, Maul is played by more than one actor at once when he appears in live-action. Martial artist Ray Park physically portrayed Maul in The Phantom Menace and reprised his role at the end of Solo: A Star Wars Story. Park has never voiced Maul. Instead, his dialogue is replaced by that of other actors.

In The Phantom Menace, it was Peter Serafinowicz who voiced Maul, establishing the menacing timbre that his successors have been known for. Speaking several years ago with Collider about his Star Wars role, Serafinowicz confirmed that he was invited to Pinewood Studios to once more voice Maul in Solo. He accepted, recorded the lines, and waited for the movie’s release. He then discovered that Disney had had a chance of heart and instead brought in Sam Witwer to voice Park’s Maul instead.

Serafinowicz explained that better continuity was given as the reason for the unexpected casting move. Granted, Witwer was the more established voice of Maul by 2018, as Seranfinowicz had been limited to just a few lines of dialogue in The Phantom Menace. Witwer said more as Maul in just his Clone Wars debut episode alone, then went on to reprise the character numerous times. That said, I can’t say I agree that Witwer voicing Maul in live-action offers a great deal of continuity – especially for Star Wars.

Many characters within the canon are played by different actors in live-action and animation, regardless of actor availability. For instance, Ashley Eckstein is the voice of Ahsoka Tano in animation, but she doesn’t replace the voice of Rosario Dawson’s live-action version of the character. If anything, it would have made far more sense from a continuity perspective to keep Serafinowicz’s lines in Solo.

Peter Serafinowicz Needs a Character in ‘Star Wars: Maul – Shadow Lord’ Season 2

Disney+

Serafinowicz is primarily known for his comedic endeavors. My personal favorite character of his is the obliviously bad businessman Brian Butterfield, whom I actually got to get on stage with when he toured in-character a few years ago. He gave a hilarious seminar, and my face hurt from all the laughter when I left. All that aside, Serafinowicz does have a very unique voice that lends itself well to villainous or authoritative characters. This is proven, at least in part, by his 1999 performance as Darth Maul.

Although it wouldn’t have made any sense for him to take back over from Witwer in Shadow Lord, I would really like to see Serafinowicz given a role in Season 2. Not only would he be a fantastic addition to an already-talented voice cast, but it would also serve as a nice full-circle moment – and, of course, an apology of sorts for being taken out of Solo. When it comes to exactly who Serafinowicz’s second Star Wars character could be, that all depends on what Shadow Lord Season 2 is about, but I’m sure there will be plenty of options that would be perfect for the underrated actor.