Dave Filoni may not be a particularly well-known name among more casual Star Wars fans, but the diehards are well aware that the 45 year-old is one of the key figures in the expanded universe mythology. After all, he directed the feature-length animated movie Star Wars: The Clone Wars and served as one of the key creatives behind the television show of the same name, as well as the critically-acclaimed Star Wars Rebels and anime-inspired Star Wars Resistance.
Filoni has even provided voice cameos in The Force Awakens and Rogue One, as well as directing the first episode of Jon Favreau’s hugely-anticipated The Mandalorian. In short, the man’s fingerprints have been all over the franchise for the last decade.
Despite solid reviews across the initial six-season run, The Clone Wars was abruptly cancelled in 2014 without reaching a natural conclusion, much to the ire of the fanbase. However, it was announced last year that the show was to be resurrected as a Disney Plus exclusive with Filoni once again spearheading the project, and now the showrunner has taken to social media to tease the return of a certain fan favorite character:
One year ago we announced the return of #TheCloneWars. I can’t wait for you all to see what I see. #CloneWarsSaved pic.twitter.com/Xppilcq5qz
— Dave Filoni (@dave_filoni) July 19, 2019
Season 7 will continue to fill in the gaps in the mythology between the events of Attack of the Clones and Revenge of the Sith, and Filoni has also confirmed that Phantom Menace actor Ray Park will reprise his role as Darth Maul in the series via motion-capture:
“I went and, I know Ray Park, and I said, ‘Ray, wouldn’t it be great… why don’t we suit you up in a mo-cap suit and be Darth Maul?’. So when you see Maul fighting, it’s going to be really Maul fighting… There’s just something unique about how Ray moves.. It was a great moment having him perform it.”
Star Wars: The Clone Wars doesn’t have an official release date as of yet on Disney’s upcoming streaming platform, but it is expected to be one of the service’s initial launch titles. Stay tuned for more.