George Lucas attends a photocall as he has been awarded an Honorary Palme d'Or during the 77th Cannes Film Festival in Cannes, FranceCredit: Aurore Marechal/Abaca Press/INSTARimages
By
Matthew Rudoy
Published Feb 4, 2026, 9:30 PM EST
Matthew Rudoy is one of ScreenRant's Movie & TV News Editors. He covers the latest in movie & TV news, with a focus on major franchises like Star Wars, The Boys, and Game of Thrones. He wrote lists for ScreenRant from 2017-2022, became a news writer in 2023, a senior staff writer in 2024, and an editor in 2025.
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The next Disney+ Star Wars series is reviving a crucial part of a canceled George Lucas show. Since Disney acquired Lucasfilm in 2012, the franchise has released a wide variety of Star Wars movies and series, including the sequel trilogy films, Rogue One, Solo, Star Wars Rebels, The Mandalorian, The Bad Batch, and Andor.
Inevitably, fans frequently compare the Disney-era stories to what Lucas created, along with the plans for his projects that never became a reality. Even though one series that he wanted to make was canceled, a new version is coming to fruition in a different Star Wars show.
George Lucas’ Star Wars: Underworld Was Canceled
Star Wars: Underworld test footage showing stormtroopers on the streets of Coruscant
Before Lucasfilm was sold to Disney, Lucas was working on a show called Star Wars: Underworld. It was intended to be a live-action, darker, multi-season series targeted toward an older audience. The story would have revolved around the criminal underworld, primarily in the lower levels of the planet Coruscant. In terms of where it would have fallen in the Star Wars timeline, it would have been set in the years between Revenge of the Sith and A New Hope as the Empire reigned over the galaxy.
There were reportedly 60 Star Wars: Underworld episode scripts written, with stories that would have followed familiar characters like Emperor Palpatine, Darth Vader, Boba Fett, Han Solo, and Lando Calrissian. When discussing the project, Lucas explained that “It's not really based on action-adventure films from the '30s — it's actually more based on film noir movies from the '40s!"
A noir Star Wars show had enormous potential, but it was ultimately scrapped because it was too expensive, with a projected budget of $40 million per episode. While fans never got to see the gritty storytelling and moral ambiguity of Underworld, another show is now set to fulfill that promise.
Maul — Shadow Lord Brings A Noir Underworld Story Back To Star Wars TV
Maul (Sam Witwer) in Maul Shadow Lord
The next Star Wars show is Maul — Shadow Lord, which Lucasfilm has described as "Maul plotting to rebuild his criminal syndicate on a planet untouched by the Empire" in a show that "features stylized animation emblematic of the gritty new cityscape locale of Janix combined with old-school filmmaking methods." The lower levels of Coruscant from Underworld have been essentially replaced by Janix, where Maul will reestablish his criminal empire and make it stronger.
Along with the visual nods to noir and being a gritty, criminal underworld story, Maul (Sam Witwer) fits the genre with some of the moral ambiguity and difficult questions his character will present. In past stories, he was a villain, but he is now the protagonist, albeit one willing to go to violent extremes to get what he wants, as seen in the trailer where his red lightsaber slices through numerous Imperial stormtroopers.
The noir of Maul — Shadow Lord is further cemented by a new character, Brander Lawson (Wagner Moura). He is a former bounty hunter and now a respected police detective on Janix, who, along with his droid partner, Two-Boots, (Richard Ayoade), will hunt Maul. With Janix being a planet previously untouched by the Empire and Maul potentially being their best defense against the fascist regime, Lawson may have a morally difficult choice to make during his pursuit.
Maul — Shadow Lord is animated and not live-action as Underworld was, but it is poised to revive the genre, tone, setting, and themes of Lucas' canceled series in a way that no other Star Wars show has yet achieved.
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Join the newsletter for deeper coverage and analysis of Maul — Shadow Lord, George Lucas' canceled concepts revived in new form, and Star Wars' noir turn. Subscribe to access detailed context, scene breakdowns, and informed perspectives on these developments. Subscribe By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime.Star Wars: Maul — Shadow Lord begins with a two-episode premiere on April 6, only on Disney+.
Sources: Wookieepedia, StarWars.com
Star Wars: Maul - Shadow Lord
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Subscribe for More Maul, Lucas, and Star Wars Coverage
Join the newsletter for deeper coverage and analysis of Maul — Shadow Lord, George Lucas' canceled concepts revived in new form, and Star Wars' noir turn. Subscribe to access detailed context, scene breakdowns, and informed perspectives on these developments. Subscribe By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime. Trending Now
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