Darth Maul Stars In Epic Star Wars Fan Film, Films Success Shows Fans Want More Maul
For many Star Wars fans who’ve clamored for a Darth Maul feature film, the short fan flick, entitled Darth Maul: Apprentice – A Star Wars Fan-Film, is a sweet little teaser and hopefully an indicator of more Maul to come.
Star Wars fans have often expressed regrets that villain and Sith Lord apprentice Darth Maul didn’t have more screen time in the wildly popular film franchise. The sinister red and black horned character was killed off in Episode I – The Phantom Menace by Obi-Wan Kenobi. Numerous fans argued the fight scenes featuring Darth Maul were the highlight of Episode I. Because of his early demise, Darth Maul remained a bit of a mystery, and left many viewers wanting more. Now, fans are finally getting their wish of more Maul in Darth Maul: Apprentice – A Star Wars Fan-Film.
The film was written, directed, and edited by German film student Shawn Bu, and showcases impressive light saber duels between Darth Maul and several Jedi Knights. The fight scenes were choreographed by Vi-Dan Tran.
“We always felt that Darth Maul should have had more screen time. So we wanted to create a film just for him with the best lightsaber fights we could do!” stated a comment attached to the film.
Darth Maul Apprentice, which is just under 18 minutes, took almost two years to make and was published on March 5, 2016. In just a few short days, the fan film has already received almost a million views and is receiving much well-deserved praise for its cool fight scenes, impeccable makeup, well-chosen music, and beautiful backdrop scenery.
“This short film was actually just a little teaser or test video,” stated Shawn Bu. “We would really like to do a much longer story driven fan film.”
Bu’s first ever short film was a lightsaber fight with his brother. He later met Vi-Dan Tran in their film studies, and realized quickly they “wrote awesome[ly] together.” They made several short films and music videos together focusing on action, visual effects, and storytelling.
When they came up with the idea of creating a high quality Star Wars lightsaber fight, their idea was met with enthusiasm from friends eager to help.
According to Mashable, “this might be the best Star Wars fan film ever made” and “captures the magic” of the Star Wars film franchise.
John Nugent of Empire Online isn’t quite as enthusiastic in its praise of the Star Wars fan film. “There’s not a great deal of story here – the basic plot could be summed up with the word ‘lightsabers’.”
But even he has to admit the film has a tremendous amount of visual appeal.
“But damn, if it isn’t pretty,” Nugent adds.
Darth Maul receiving his own spinoff has been buzzed about for some time. After Disney bought out the Star Wars franchise, it suddenly seemed possible. Disney has reported at least three Star Wars spin offs are in the works, although rumors circulate around origin stories for Yoda, Boba Fett, and Han Solo. However, the fans’ positive reaction to the Star Wars fan film featuring Darth Maul indicates a Darth Maul feature film might not be a bad idea.
#CharacterOfTheWeek – Darth Maul: A relentless & acrobatic warrior with an extremely deadly double-ended lightsaber. pic.twitter.com/w2pZ7KETx2
— Star Wars | #TheMandalorian is Now Streaming (@starwars) October 13, 2013
In the meantime, you can get your Darth Maul fix by checking out the film Darth Maul: Apprentice – A Star Wars Fan-Film right here.
Darth Maul: Apprentice ends with this sinister line from the Sith Lord.
“No mercy, no compassion limits you, you are truly powerful, Darth Maul. Your training is complete. This is the beginning of the end for all Jedi.”
[Photo by Stuart C. Wilson/Getty Images]
