Benicio del Toro Addresses Darth Maul Casting Rumor (Star Wars Fans Will Be Surprised)

Benicio del Toro had a role in the Star Wars sequel trilogy, but for a moment, there was speculation he was going to be in the prequels. While appearing on the podcast Happy Sad Confused to promote his new film The Phoenician Scheme, del Toro was asked about the old rumors that he was going to play Darth Maul in 1999’s Star Wars: The Phantom Menace before the character’s role in the film was adjusted, leading to director George Lucas and del Toro parting ways. When asked to verify the validity of this rumor, del Toro admitted he has no recollection of it.

“No … I don’t remember that,” del Toro said when asked about the Maul rumor. “I don’t remember everything, but I don’t remember that. I don’t remember being cast in another Star Wars movie except for the one I was cast.”

The Oscar-winning actor was in 2017’s Star Wars: The Last Jedi, portraying the character DJ. He plays a key part in the Finn/Rose storyline, first helping the two escape Canto Bight and aiding their mission to shut down the First Order’s hyperspace tracking system before betraying the Resistance heroes. DJ stands for “Don’t Join” (as in, don’t join either side of a galactic conflict); the character’s real name is unknown.

[RELATED – Star Wars Actor Shares New Darth Maul Series Details (& Suggests A Huge Twist)]

In The Phantom Menace, Darth Maul was played by Ray Park and voiced by Peter Serafinowicz. Though the Sith apprentice was a major part of the film’s marketing campaign, his role in the finished movie was quite small, an aspect that drew some criticism. Lucas later rectified this by bringing Maul back in the animated series Star Wars: The Clone Wars, where the character was voiced by Sam Witwer.

Being cast in a Star Wars movie and subsequently leaving the project seems like a major career development any actor would remember, but The Phantom Menace came out over 25 years ago now, and a lot has happened in del Toro’s career since then. Marvel actors like Gwyneth Paltrow and Jon Favreau can struggle to recall what movies they’ve been in, so from that perspective, it isn’t shocking to hear del Toro doesn’t remember details about a film he didn’t star in. Perhaps his comments are evidence that the Darth Maul rumors were just rampant speculation that spread during Phantom Menace development and there isn’t any truth to them.

Del Toro’s Maul would have been a very notable change in direction for the character. The actor can bring a sinister edge to his roles, but he isn’t the martial artist Ray Park is. If del Toro had played Maul in The Phantom Menace, the Sith apprentice might have been less of an aerodynamic fighter and more of an intimidating presence who terrifies people a la Darth Vader. If this rumor is true, it would be interesting to know what the original plan for Maul was and how the role might have evolved over the course of the prequel trilogy. With such a talented actor in the fold, Lucas might have been inclined to keep Maul around for all three movies instead of prematurely killing the character off.