If Star Wars Celebration Japan is any indication, fans are in for a treat with upcoming animated Star Wars projects. Athena Portillo, Vice President of Animation at Lucasfilm, shared exciting details in an exclusive IGN interview about two eagerly anticipated series: the newly announced Tales of the Underworld and Maul: Shadow Lord.
Portillo expressed her enthusiasm about collaborating with Sam Witwer, the voice behind Darth Maul, on Maul: Shadow Lord. "Sam was deeply involved in crafting Maul's character depth and lore, working closely with our head writer and supervising director," she told IGN during Star Wars Celebration Japan. "Together with [Lucasfilm CCO Dave] Filoni, who co-created the animated version of Maul, Sam reviews scripts, watches the whip reels, and provides valuable feedback on the character's development."
This isn't the first time we've seen Maul, but Maul: Shadow Lord promises a deeper exploration into the enduring villain's narrative. Portillo humorously likened Maul to iconic horror characters like Michael Myers and Jason Voorhees, noting, "Like you keep killing them, but they keep coming back. There is that threat that's always there, right? I mean, it's Star Wars, right? So Darth Maul has died so many times, but he does keep coming back. We are diving into Maul's history and exploring his stories."
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Portillo emphasized the significant advancements in Lucasfilm Animation's production process, highlighting improvements in "the animation, the lighting, the effects, the matte paintings, the lighting concepts, the assets." She explained how Dave Filoni encouraged the team to push beyond their comfort zones post-Covid: "He said, 'You all need to pull yourself out of complacency, you all need to pull yourself out of your comfort level. Being uncomfortable is a good feeling, and it leads you to greater things. So, create something that is an upgrade of what we're used to doing,' both in the animation style such as the body mechanics, facial animation, we updated all of our body rigs, and then all the lighting, everything." Filoni's reaction to an episode was telling: "Wow, you guys, you are actually creating cinema." Portillo proudly noted, "All of it is an upgrade from what we've done, and even from The Bad Batch, even from Tales of the Underworld, it's an upgrade, and we just completed Tales of the Underworld. We're releasing Maul in 2026, but we're still working on it."
Tales of the Underworld will delve into the lives of Asajj Ventress and Cad Bane, each with three episodes totaling six. Ventress's storyline will focus on her return facilitated by Mother Talzin, as Portillo shared, "so Ventress meets the boy you see in the first short, and it becomes two Jedi on the run, and you'll see like a relationship story created in the three shorts."
Ventress's narrative picks up from the Dark Disciple novel, where she was considered to have died and been reborn. Portillo confirmed that Tales of the Underworld continues this storyline, saying, "Yeah. My favorite part of that is the whole Quinlan Vos and Ventress connection. When the fans saw that, and when he said, 'I will always love you,' it blew everyone away. I think fans want to see that, you know, especially since Jedi are not supposed to get involved, but there's always that love story. There was the Obi-Wan Kenobi and Satine story, and obviously Padme and Anakin, and now Ventress and Quinlan Vos. I love those types of stories."
Ventress's journey also involves grappling with her past, as Portillo explained, "Sometimes after they've gone through a lot, they start to rethink their path, and which way they want to go. Some choose a path of exile in a way, where they don't want to be a part of what their history has been. And then others turn to the dark side, as we've seen. So, with her story, it's going to be more of, you know, let's just say sometimes people come into your life for a reason to make you a better person, and the character that she meets in this first short is a good balance."
Both series promise to enrich the Star Wars universe. Tales of the Underworld will premiere on Disney+ on May 4, 2025, while Maul: Shadow Lord is slated for release in 2026, with fans eagerly awaiting further updates.
