Obi-Wan Kenobi is mere months away from releasing on Disney Plus. Joining the impressive line-up of Star Wars shows like The Mandalorian, the series is set to be one last hurrah for its titular character. However, the celebrations will not be including one of the character's most iconic villains: Darth Maul.
Was Darth Maul cut from Obi-Wan Kenobi?
Revealed by The Hollywood Reporter, the Obi-Wan Kenobi series did plan to include Darth Maul. Not only was the character set to play a role in the events of Kenobi’s journey, but he was also going to have multiple fight scenes.
According to the report, beloved stunt performer Ray Park was set to reprise his role. As the face of the character for the past 23 years, Park has aged alongside Kenobi actor Ewan McGregor. Park’s last live-action stint as the character was in Solo: A Star Wars Story in a minor cameo.
Park is said to have been heavily involved in preproduction for the upcoming TV series. The actor was also deep into stunt training for his appearance in the show. Some sources also claim that scenes were even shot for the series, but conflicting claims say only test footage was shot.
Unfortunately, for fans of the character, all of Park’s scenes have been removed from the series. However, they have been cut to make room for another long-lasting rivalry for McGregor’s Obi-Wan.
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Why the character was cut
According to the report, plans for Darth Maul were scrapped after bigger ideas for the limited run series were created. Instead of the beloved double-ended-lightsaber-wielding Zabrak, multiple villains were introduced.
For example, in getting rid of Maul, Lucasfilm made way for the reintroduction of Star Wars’ most iconic villain: Darth Vader. Played by Hayden Christensen, the character will finally get a modern fight against Obi-Wan Kenobi.
Additionally, Lucasfilm wanted to introduce live action versions of Vader’s Inquisitors. These formidable Jedi hunters will make up most of the antagonists for the six-episode miniseries, including the Grand Inquisitor.
The removal of Maul is certainly unfortunately, especially considering that actor Ray Park is always excited to play the character. Hopefully, Lucasfilm can find some room to use the character in live action in the future. There are rumours that Lucasfilm is working on a show entirely about Maul. Unfortunately, those rumours are unsubstantiated at the time of writing.
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