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Darth Maul is one of the most interesting villains in Star Wars. Though his time in Star Wars: Episode I — The Phantom Menace (1999) is short-lived, he went on to appear in the beloved animated shows Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008) and Star Wars: Rebels (2014).
As such, Darth Maul has had far more screen time on the animated side of the faraway galaxy than he has in live action, and the only other Star Wars film he’s appeared in since The Phantom Menace is Solo: A Star Wars Story (2018), in a brief pre-credits cameo.
Credit: Lucasfilm
Ray Park reprised his role as Maul in the film, with Sam Witwer lending his vocal talents, having done so in both the animated shows (actor Peter Serafinowicz voices him in The Phantom Menace). Park also returned to perform motion capture in The Clone Wars finale.
Now, in light of the recently announced upcoming animated series, Shadow Lord, revealed during last week’s Star WarsCelebrations, here are six actors who we think would be perfect for the role of the iconic Sith Lord in a live action Disney+ series.
6. Michael Fassbender
Credit: 20th Century Studios
Michael Fassbender is an extremely versatile actor, but you only really need to watch the Alien spin-off movies Prometheus (2012) and Alien: Covenant (2017) to see that he has the talent to pull off a character like Maul. Cold? Detached? Merciless? Check, check, and check.
His performance as David, a droid going through an existential crisis, is unnerving and chilling to say the least. The 48-year-old Irish actor also has an incredibly convincing English accent in the films. As such, we think Michael Fassbender could easily pull off Darth Maul.
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5. Jude Law
Credit: Lucasfilm
We know what you’re thinking — Jude Law, 52, has already played a Star Wars character — the Force-wielding pirate Jod Na Nawood in the live-action series Skeleton Crew (2023). But let’s entertain the idea of the British actor playing Maul anyway.
The Fantastic Beasts star would be perfect as Maul. He already has the accent, and he’s great at playing villains, whether it’s the aforementioned Star Wars pirate, Yon-Rogg in Captain Marvel (2019), or Captain Hook in Peter Pan & Wendy(2023). Need we say more?
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4. Jamie Campbell Bower
Credit: Netflix
Jamie Campbell-Bower is fast becoming a household name. While many have likely forgotten that he plays the “flashback” version of dark wizard Gellert Grindelwald in some of the Harry Potter and Fantastic Beasts movies, his performance as yet another dark wizard hasn’t gone unnoticed.
In Stranger Things Season 5, Jamie Campbell Bower plays supernatural villain Vecna, and he also played Caius in the last two Twilight movies. So, the charismatic 36-year-old actor is no stranger to villainous roles, and we think he has Darth Maul written all over him.
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3. Sam Witwer
Credit: Lucasfilm
Sam Witwer, 47, is no stranger to the Star Wars universe. Having originally visited a very different faraway galaxy in the Battlestar Galactica (2004) series as Crashdown, alongside Katee Sackhoff (Kara Thrace/Starbuck), who is now also a Star Wars character (Bo-Katan Kryze), Witwer is now best known for voicing Darth Maul in Star Wars animation.
He also played Galen Marek/Starkiller in the 2008 video game “Star Wars: Force Unleashed”, but fans would love to see him bring Maul back to life in a live-action capacity.
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2. Christian Bale
Credit: Marvel Studios
Not so long ago, it would have been impossible to imagine Christian Bale, 51, playing a villain in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Now, it’s hard to imagine Thor: Love and Thunder (2022) without him, because Gorr the God Butcher is one of the most terrifying villains in the MCU.
Christian Bale’s character exudes Darth Maul vibes from start to finish — there’s the baldness, the face/body tattoos, his chilling performance, and also the gaunt face. The only real challenge for The Dark Knight (2008) actor, we think, would be nailing down that English accent, as his seems to vary from scene to scene, no matter the film.
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1. James McAvoy
Credit: Universal Pictures
We didn’t necessarily intend to rank these actors from the least ideal to the most ideal, but the fact that we’ve subconsciously placed James McAvoy at No. 1 probably suggests that we think he’s the best actor to play Darth Maul.
Putting all his other excellent performances aside, McAvoy, 46, is utterly fantastic in the role of the serial killer Kevin Wendall-Crumb–who suffers from “Dissociative Identity disorder” (DID) and lives with 23 distinct personalities–in the M Night Shyamalan film Split (2016), the “surprise” sequel to Unbreakable (2000) and precursor to Glass (2019).
Split might just be James McAvoy’s tour de force, and somewhere between his elegant-yet-menacing Patricia and his monstrously powerful alter The Beast is the perfect Maul.
Shadow Lord will premiere on Disney+ sometime in 2026.
Which of these actors do you think would make the best Darth Maul in a future Star Wars movie or live-action TV series? Let us know in the comments down below!
