Ever since his first appearance in The Phantom Menace over 20 years ago, Darth Maul has been a firm favorite among the Star Wars fanbase, and despite the character not being used to his full potential on the big screen, he’s continued to play a major role in the expanded universe.
As well as factoring heavily into the various animated shows, the Sith recently returned to the live-action realm of the franchise after making a surprise cameo appearance in Solo, one that would have no doubt led to an increased role in the follow-ups had Han’s prequel not bombed at the box office.
With The Mandalorian set to introduce several names from the animated shows as it looks to establish itself as the jumping-off point for the next generation of Star Wars adventures, Maul has also been repeatedly linked to the various Disney Plus exclusives that are in various stages of development, including the third season of The Mandalorian, Obi-Wan Kenobi and even a solo series of his own.
However, LRM Online now claims that should Darth Maul make a fully-fledged comeback and become an important part of Star Wars once again, Disney will end up recasting the role following the recent controversy surrounding actor Ray Park. A graphic video was posted on the 45 year-old’s Instagram account a few days ago, and while cancel culture was incredibly quick to call for his firing, Park’s wife dismissed all of the subsequent allegations by claiming his account had been hacked.
A family-friendly studio like Disney won’t be too keen on this sort of negative publicity surrounding one of their biggest brands, but firing Park from his career-defining role still seems like a knee-jerk reaction. After all, like any scandal, it’ll eventually blow over, and fans would no doubt be furious if Darth Maul ended up being played by someone else in his next appearance.
