Star Wars: George Lucas Considered Making General Grievous a Disguised Darth Maul

Audiences first met the villainous General Grievous in the animated Star Wars: Clone Wars shorts, which took place after the live-action Star Wars: Attack of the Clones and before Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith, and while his live-action debut still kept his origins relatively mysterious, George Lucas reportedly considered making the villain be a revived Darth Maul. In Star Wars: The Phantom Menace, Maul was split in half by Obi-Wan Kenobi's lightsaber, which would require major reconstruction, and while Maul would later be revived, Lucas opted to instead make Grievous a former Separatist General who similarly suffered brutal injuries.

"George was considering that Grievous was Maul behind the armor plate," Star Wars: The Clone Wars Henry Gilroy writer shared with /Film. "It made sense. He's cut in half, and he's in this robot body or whatever. I'm glad that Grievous is his own thing anyway, but I thought it was interesting that the concept guys almost talked George into that."

Despite Lucas opting not to explore Maul's return, it would only be a matter of time before that event occurred. The Clone Wars showcased how Maul survived his bifurcation and plummet down a ventilation shaft, essentially using his anger to motivate him and fuel his survival. The series showcased how Maul procured robotic legs to allow him to continue his reign of terror, taking charge of a crime syndicate and abandoning his connection to the Sith. 

Following the initial conclusion of The Clone Wars, Maul returned yet again for Star Wars Rebels, which took place after Revenge of the Sith. Maul had been driven mad with his anger and commitment to revenge against Obi-Wan, with the pair eventually reuniting to finish their duel, in which Obi-Wan emerged victorious yet again. 

Rebels wasn't the end for Maul, either, as Phantom Menace actor Ray Park returned to the series for a brief scene in Solo: A Star Wars Story. While this may have seemed like just the beginning of a Maul revival, Solo's underwhelming reception has seemingly stagnated any such plans. 

With Grievous' demise being a bit more blatant in Revenge of the Sith, the figure hasn't earned the same type of revival, though audiences have learned more about his history from Star Wars stories in various mediums.

Stay tuned for details on General Grievous and Darth Maul.

Do you wish Grievous was secretly Maul? Let us know in the comments or contact Patrick Cavanaugh directly on Twitter to talk all things Star Wars and horror!