# Darth Maul: Apprentice > Mediated Wiki article. Canonical URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Darth_Maul%3A_Apprentice > Markdown URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Darth_Maul%3A_Apprentice.md > Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Darth_Maul%3A_Apprentice > Source revision: 1354533019 > License: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/) 2016 German film Darth Maul: Apprentice YouTube thumbnail of the film Directed by Shawn Bu Written by Shawn Bu Based on Darth Maul by George Lucas Produced by Shawn Bu Vi-Dan Tran (executive) Eyyüphan Duy (executive) Jannik Siebert (executive) Julien Bam (executive) Starring Ben Schamma Mathis Landwehr Svenja Jung Eskindir Tesfay Maja Felicitas Bergmann Paul Cless Sefa Demirbas Dirk Chwialkowsky Lee Hua Cinematography Max Tsui Vadim Schulz Vi-Dan Tran Edited by Shawn Bu Music by Vincent Lee Production company T7 Production Release date March 5, 2016 (2016-03-05) (YouTube) Running time 18 minutes Country Germany Language English Budget $25,000 ***Darth Maul: Apprentice*** is a 2016 English-language German short [science fiction](/source/Science_fiction_film) [fan film](/source/Fan_film) written and directed by Shawn Bu, and produced by T7 Production. The film focuses around [Darth Maul](/source/Darth_Maul), a villain of the *[Star Wars](/source/Star_Wars)* franchise, in particular *[Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace](/source/Star_Wars%3A_Episode_I_%E2%80%93_The_Phantom_Menace)*, of which this fan film is set before. As of January 2022, it has amassed over 30 million views. ## Plot On an unknown planet, [Darth Maul](/source/Darth_Maul) trains his own abilities and studies his opponents to complete his [Sith](/source/Sith) training under [Darth Sidious](/source/Palpatine). During his training, a drone stationed in orbit around the planet reports an approaching spaceship. To remain hidden and complete his training in secret, Maul sets out to kill the intruders before they discover his hiding place and report it. It is revealed that the group consists of six [Jedi](/source/Jedi). Maul swiftly kills a Jedi scout, which gains the other five Jedi's attention, and they fight him. Despite being outnumbered, Maul successfully kills the other Jedi, except for a [Jedi Master](/source/Jedi_Master) and his [Padawan](/source/Padawan_(Star_Wars)). They manage to get the upper hand however, and Maul appears to retreat. The Jedi follow him through a canyon, but run into a trap set up by Maul. He overpowers the Padawan and kills the Jedi Master. Right when Maul is about to kill the Padawan, one of the presumed dead Jedi intervenes, and this gives enough time for the Padawan to run. Maul catches up with the Padawan in the middle of a clearing however, and they continue to duel. Maul fights her to the ground, and is hesitant on killing her, but he notices his master's camera drone around him, and kills the Padawan. Sidious appears as a hologram to Maul to express how he is pleased with Maul's achievement and declares his training complete. This is when Sidious also explains that he led the Jedi to the planet where Maul was training so he could kill them, and that it would mark "the beginning of the end for all Jedi." ## Cast - Ben Schamma as [Darth Maul](/source/Darth_Maul) - [Mathis Landwehr](/source/Mathis_Landwehr) as Jedi Master - [Svenja Jung](/source/Svenja_Jung) as Jedi Apprentice - Eskindir Tesfay as Jedi Berserker - Maja Felicitas Bergmann as [Togruta](/source/Togruta) Jedi - Paul Cless as Jedi Scout - Sefa Demirbas as Acrobatic Jedi Knight - Dirk Chwialkowsky as [Darth Sidious](/source/Palpatine) - Lee Hua as voice of Darth Sidious ## Production ### Filming The filming took eighteen days in total from September 14, 2014 to November 11, 2015. Filming took place in [Bollendorf, Eifel, Germany](/source/Bollendorf) for ten days, [Teufelsschlucht, Eifel, Germany](/source/Devil's_Gorge_(Eifel)) for three days in March and June 2015, [Brunssummerheide, Netherlands](/source/Brunssum#Nature) for three days in October 2015, and at a studio in [Aachen, Germany](/source/Aachen) for two days in December 2014 and November 2015.[1] ## Reception *Darth Maul: Apprentice* has received positive reviews from critics and audiences. Andrew Liptak of *[io9](/source/Io9)* praised the lightsaber battles, cinematography, and setting.[2] Blake Rodgers of *[Nerdist](/source/Nerdist)* not only praised the lightsaber battles and cinematography, but the story as well.[3] Rick Marshall of *[Digital Trends](/source/Digital_Trends)* praised Ben Schamma's portrayal of Maul and the makeup, but was disappointed with the runtime of the film.[4] Ryan Downey of *[AltPress](/source/AltPress)* said, "it’s a taut, intimate, action-packed standalone story," and praised the special effects, costumes, and the fighting choreography.[5] Ethan Anderton of *[SlashFilm](/source/SlashFilm)* said the lightsaber special effects were, "...pretty well done...," and gave the fighting choreography high praise, along with the cinematography.[6] Jeff Spry of *[Syfy Wire](/source/Syfy_Wire)* ranked the film number two on his top fourteen best *Star Wars* fan films list. He described the production as spectacular, and praised the lightsaber battles, choreography, and setting.[7] Jeremy Fuster of *[TheWrap](/source/TheWrap)* ranked the film number nine on his top eleven best *Star Wars* fan films list, and said, "...[it] features the best lightsaber fight you'll see in any fan film."[8] ## References 1. **[^](#cite_ref-1)** ["Behind the Scenes of DARTH MAUL: APPRENTICE (NEW)"](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aDCNTLzTgSo). *T7pro*. March 8, 2016. [YouTube](/source/YouTube). 1. **[^](#cite_ref-2)** Liptak, Andrew (March 6, 2016). ["This Amazing Fan Film Showcases All The Things We Love About Darth Maul"](https://io9.gizmodo.com/this-amazing-fan-film-showcases-all-the-things-we-love-1763183175). *[io9](/source/Io9)*. Retrieved March 8, 2019. 1. **[^](#cite_ref-3)** Rogers, Blake (March 7, 2016). ["THIS DARTH MAUL STAR WARS FAN FILM IS EXACTLY WHAT WE WANTED"](https://archive.nerdist.com/this-darth-maul-star-wars-fan-film-is-exactly-what-we-wanted/). *[Nerdist](/source/Nerdist)*. [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20180616075907/https://nerdist.com/this-darth-maul-star-wars-fan-film-is-exactly-what-we-wanted/) from the original on June 16, 2018. Retrieved March 8, 2019. 1. **[^](#cite_ref-4)** Marshall, Rick (March 16, 2016). ["This Darth Maul fan film is the movie the Sith deserved"](https://www.digitaltrends.com/movies/darth-maul-apprentice-fan-film/). *[Digital Trends](/source/Digital_Trends)*. Retrieved March 8, 2019. 1. **[^](#cite_ref-5)** Downey, Ryan (March 7, 2016). ["WATCH 'DARTH MAUL: APPRENTICE – A STAR WARS FAN-FILM' BEFORE IT'S GONE"](https://www.altpress.com/news/watch_darth_maul_apprentice_a_star_wars_fan_film_before_its_gone/). *[AltPress](/source/AltPress)*. Retrieved March 8, 2019. 1. **[^](#cite_ref-6)** Anderton, Ethan (March 8, 2016). ["VOTD: 'Darth Maul: Apprentice' Fan Film Gives the 'Star Wars' Villain His Due Diligence"](https://www.slashfilm.com/darth-maul-fan-film/). *[SlashFilm](/source/SlashFilm)*. Retrieved March 8, 2019. 1. **[^](#cite_ref-7)** Spry, Jeff (December 16, 2017). ["14 STAR WARS FAN FILMS, RANKED"](https://web.archive.org/web/20190927102023/https://www.syfy.com/syfywire/14-star-wars-fan-films-ranked). *[Syfy Wire](/source/Syfy_Wire)*. Archived from [the original](https://www.syfy.com/syfywire/14-star-wars-fan-films-ranked) on September 27, 2019. Retrieved March 8, 2019. 1. **[^](#cite_ref-8)** Fuster, Jeremy (December 16, 2017). ["11 of the Best 'Star Wars' Fan Films Ever Made (Videos)"](https://www.thewrap.com/11-of-the-best-star-wars-fan-films-ever-made-videos/). *[TheWrap](/source/TheWrap)*. Retrieved March 8, 2019. ## External links - [*Darth Maul: Apprentice*](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Djo_91jN3Pk) on [YouTube](/source/YouTube_video_(identifier)) - [*Darth Maul: Apprentice*](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt5529680/) at [IMDb](/source/IMDb_(identifier)) - [T7 Production's channel](https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCcJi33LYMKrVaQMj2hKo3mg) on [YouTube](/source/YouTube_channel_(identifier)) - [T7 Production](https://www.facebook.com/T7production) on [Facebook](/source/Facebook_(identifier)) v t e Unofficial Star Wars media Awards The Official Star Wars Fan Film Awards Fan films Broken Allegiance Chad Vader Crazy Watto The Dark Redemption The Dark Resurgence Dark Resurrection Darth Maul: Apprentice Darth Vader's Psychic Hotline Duality The Formula George Lucas in Love Han Solo: A Smuggler's Trade Hardware Wars How the Sith Stole Christmas The Jedi Hunter Pink Five Pink Five Strikes Back Rebel Scum Return of Pink Five Ryan vs. Dorkman Saving Star Wars Sith Apprentice Space Janitors Star Dudes Star Wars Gangsta Rap Star Wars: Origins Star Wars: Revelations Star Wars: SC 38 – Reimagined Star Wars: The Emperor's New Clones Star Wars: Threads of Destiny Star Wars Uncut Thumb Wars TIE Fighter Trooper Clerks Troops Vader Episode I: Shards of the Past Fan edits Backstroke of the West Harmy's Despecialized Edition Obi-Wan Kenobi: The Patterson Cut The Phantom Edit Fan games Movie Battles Documentaries A Disturbance in the Force Elstree 1976 I Am Your Father The People vs. George Lucas Plastic Galaxy The Prequels Strike Back: A Fan's Journey Literature Another Hope Commander Toad Eltingville: Bring Me the Head of Boba Fett The Love Hypothesis Lucas Wars Star Warped Music One Man Star Wars Trilogy Ani "Darth Vader vs. Hitler" "The Saga Begins" "Yoda" Other The Force is with Cristal Beer Category --- Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Darth Maul: Apprentice](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Darth_Maul%3A_Apprentice) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Darth_Maul%3A_Apprentice?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.