30 iconic Star Wars roles that almost went to different actors

8. Darth Maul (Benicio Del Toro)

Darth Maul is a character that has grown in popularity since his first introduction in The Phantom Menace. We learned more about the character in Star Wars: The Clone Wars and later in Star Wars Rebels (where he was voiced by the incredible Sam Witwer). The character appeared at the end of Solo: A Star Wars Story in a surprise reveal. But did you know that we nearly saw an entirely different actor in the role? And a familiar one at that!

While it may be hard to believe, Benicio Del Toro was in consideration for the role of Darth Maul in The Phantom Menace. The rumor is that Del Toro had actually booked the role, but when George Lucas rewrote portions of the script which changed Darth Maul’s role in the film, Del Toro dropped out. These claims are unsubstantiated, but the most prominent rumor about his attachment to the first film in the prequel trilogy.

At this time, Del Toro was at the height of his career, and choosing to walk away from the project was probably in his best interests. Of course, two decades later, Del Toro returned to the Star Wars universe to portray the morally ambiguous DJ in Rian Johnson’s The Last Jedi.

But he wasn’t the only actor up for the role…