Lucasfilm VP Talks 'Tales of the Underworld,' 'Maul: Shadow Lord'

If Star Wars Celebration Japan offered any clues, fans are in for an incredible wave of animated Star Wars content coming soon. Lucasfilm's Vice President of Animation, Athena Portillo, exclusively revealed details to IGN about two highly-anticipated series currently in development: the newly announced Tales of the Underworld and Maul: Shadow Lord.

During our conversation, Portillo couldn't contain her excitement about collaborating with Sam Witwer, the iconic voice behind Darth Maul, on Maul: Shadow Lord. "Sam played a crucial role in shaping the character's depth and lore alongside our head writer and supervising director," she shared at Star Wars Celebration Japan. "His involvement was essential – he reviewed scripts, provided feedback on preliminary animation, and even influenced color palettes. After all, he and Dave Filoni co-created Maul's animated persona together."

The Unkillable Legacy of Darth Maul

While we've encountered Maul multiple times throughout Star Wars history, this series marks our first true deep dive into the infamous Sith Lord's saga. Portillo humorously compared him to classic horror icons: "He's our version of Michael Myers or Jason Voorhees - no matter how many times he falls, he always returns. That enduring threat defines Star Wars storytelling. We're finally exploring his complete history in ways fans have never seen before."

View 14 Images

Portillo emphasized the groundbreaking technical improvements in Lucasfilm Animation's production pipeline. "Post-pandemic, Filoni challenged us to push beyond our comfort zones," she explained. "We completely overhauled our animation techniques - from character rigs and facial expressions to cinematic lighting effects. When Filoni previewed an episode recently, his reaction was priceless: 'This isn't just animation - you're creating cinema.'

While Maul: Shadow Lord won't arrive until 2026, Tales of the Underworld is completing production for its May 4, 2025 premiere. This anthology will deliver six total episodes - three each following Asajj Ventress and Cad Bane's underworld exploits. "Ventress' arc explores her resurrection by Mother Talzin," Portillo teased, "showing her unlikely bond with a young Jedi on the run across three interconnected stories."

The series directly continues Ventress' fate from the contested Dark Disciple novel canon. "Fans will finally see the resolution to that heartbreaking Quinlan Vos romance," Portillo confirmed. "Like Obi-Wan with Satine or Anakin and Padmé, it's another forbidden Jedi love story - but with our favorite dark side femme fatale."

Portillo hinted at Ventress' emotional journey: "After all her trials, she's at a crossroads. The boy she encounters forces her to confront who she wants to become - far from her violent past." With both series promising fresh perspectives on beloved characters, Star Wars animation is entering an exciting new golden age.