The latest animated series in the "Star Wars" (SW) franchise, "Star Wars: Maul/Shadow Lord" (10 episodes total), featuring one of the most popular villains in the film series, is currently streaming two episodes every Monday on Disney+. Dave Filoni, the executive producer of this series, learned the spirit and production methods of "Star Wars" directly from George Lucas, and this year he took over Lucasfilm and became its president. Having been a huge SW fan since childhood, he was promoted by Lucas himself and is so trusted that he is called a "Padawan," meaning the Jedi's only apprentice. Let's take a closer look at the person behind Filoni.
◇The true successor to George Lucas
Filoni, now 51 years old, has worked with Lucas on the animated series "The Clone Wars" (2008-2020) and has created many beloved Star Wars works.
"George Lucas always believed in animation and trusted the production team I lead. Just like the past 20 years, I want to continue to put his teachings into practice," he declared, and the latest film, "Star Wars: Maul/Shadow Lord," which depicts the "untold story" of Maul, the overwhelmingly popular "villain" in Star Wars, with plenty of lightsaber action, is also attracting attention.
Lucas personally interviewed Filoni, and they ended up working together on "The Clone Wars." During the production process, Filoni learned directly from Lucas about his ideas on the Force in Star Wars and what filmmaking is all about, and by knowing the ins and outs of the epic saga, he has been able to produce a string of popular works.
He has worked on live-action projects, including the "Mandalorian" series, which has been lauded worldwide as "the perfect Star Wars," and he is also involved in almost all Star Wars projects, including writing the screenplay and producing the latest film, "Star Wars: The Mandalorian and Glogo" (directed by Jon Favreau, released simultaneously in Japan and the US on May 22), which will be released in theaters for the first time in seven years.
Sam Witwer, who has been working closely with Filoni since "The Clone Wars" as the voice actor for Maul, respects him, saying, "Just like George Lucas used to do, Dave guided all of us during production, sometimes getting involved in editing on set, and quickly bringing interesting ideas to life. I personally felt very supported by his presence." Filoni, who enjoys the deep trust of not only the cast and crew but also Star Wars fans, has truly become Lucas's successor in every sense of the word.
Filoni followed Lucas's production methods in "Star Wars: Maul/Shadow Lord." For example, he continued the "matte painting" technique, which has been traditionally used since the film "Star Wars: A New Hope (Episode IV)" (released in Japan in 1978, originally titled "Star Wars"), where background drawings on board are combined with live-action footage.
In the 1983 film "Star Wars: Return of the Jedi (Episode VI)," the scene where Darth Sidious, the ruler of the galaxy, arrives at the Empire's Death Star shows a large number of stormtroopers, some of whom were actually painted rather than live actors. This technique is also used in various scenes in "Mole/Shadow Lord," and director Brad Rau expresses his confidence, saying, "By returning to the old-fashioned technique of matte painting, we were able to deepen the world of the film. In particular, we were able to create a greater sense of scale in the scenes of the massive cities."
Furthermore, just as they had previously built models of the Millennium Falcon and X-wings for filming, they also created models of the spaceships for this film. Athena Portillo, who served as executive producer alongside Filoni, recalled, "We incorporated both traditional and new methods. The spaceships in this film were created from models, following the example of previous Star Wars films. We significantly improved the characters' movements, and through various efforts, we aimed for a cinematic quality."
As Lucas's protégé, Filoni guided the project to completion based on ideas Lucas had previously shared. His spirit is fully evident in the latest animated film, "Star Wars: Maul/Shadow Lord," which bears the name of Maul, a character who has killed Jedi and betrayed his comrades, and depicts a "dark" and "dangerous" story alongside breathtaking lightsaber action.
In the Japanese dub of "Star Wars: Maul/Shadow Lord," Maul is voiced by Kazuhiro Yamaji, and Devon is voiced by Ryoko Shiraishi.
