We knew much about what was going to happen in Solo: A Star Wars Story before we saw it, by nature of it being a prequel. However, one thing we weren’t expecting was the surprise cameo from Darth Maul at the end of the film, with the uber-villain being revealed as the brains behind the Crimson Dawn crime syndicate. His role was only brief, mostly there to set up a sequel that never came, but it was still enough to excite fans.
It seems, however, that Maul’s part in the movie could have been a lot more substantial and mind-blowing. Voice actor Sam Witwer recently spoke to Star Wars Holocron and the conversation covered his turn in Solo. The Star Wars: The Clone Wars actor revealed that Maul’s role was completely restructured, perhaps because it clashed with established continuity from the animated series.
“There was stuff that had to happen once I got hired,” Witwer explained. “There was a reshoot that had to happen because people like me and [Clone Wars and Rebels creator] Dave Filoni were letting them know there were a lot of details that weren’t consistent.”
It’s known that Peter Serafinowicz, who provided Maul’s voice for his single line in The Phantom Menace back in 1999, was initially rehired for Solo, though he was ultimately replaced with Witwer. The latter actor made clear that it was felt that a more familiar vocal performance – i.e. his own – was needed, to feel consistent with Maul’s animated appearances.
“I don’t want to say that what [Peter] Serafinowicz was doing was bad,” he added. “It just didn’t sound recognizable as the character from The Phantom Menace nor the character from Clone Wars. It was a totally different thing. They needed people to recognize the voice, so there it is.”
As for the specifics of how things changed over the film’s production, Witwer wouldn’t say, but he teased that maybe in a few decades’ time he’ll decide to tell all – and he promised that the eventual news will send fans into a frenzy.
“[There were] a lot of things in this script where he growls, he does this, he does that,” but when asked to elaborate on Maul’s original role, he would only say that, “In 20 years, when I’m fully an old man and don’t care about anything, I will say things that will blow people’s minds and make national news and stuff. But no, I’m not that stupid yet.”
Well, thanks for that, Mr. Witwer. Now we’re not going to be able to rest until we find out what Solo: A Star Wars Story was originally going to do with Maul. Hopefully some other member of the cast or crew will spill the beans sometime in the next 20 years.
In the meantime, Witwer is back as Maul for the final few episodes of The Clone Wars, continuing this Friday on Disney Plus.
