It’s safe to say that Star Wars: Maul – Shadow Lord has been a success on all fronts for Disney. Telling one of the sci-fi universe’s darkest stories to date, the animated series immediately rose as the highest-rated project in the franchise ever, drawing in viewers with the return of Sam Witwer‘s titular Sith Lord as he seeks to restore his criminal empire. Its premiere was so anticipated that it was ordered for Season 2 before an episode even arrived, speaking to the supreme confidence in what Dave Filoni had cooking. For all the excitement of seeing the sinister character back at it again after The Phantom Menace and The Clone Wars, the series makes one key addition to the wider Star Wars universe that has already become a fan favorite — Brander Lawson.
Brander leads the other side of Shadow Lord‘s galactic crime thriller as a respected police detective working separately from the Empire. Alongside his droid partner Two-Boots (Richard Ayoade), he’s digging into the shadowy dealings on Janix, putting him on the trail of Maul and his new apprentice. He adds to the gritty nature of the series as a grizzled cop willing to bend the rules, while also navigating a complicated relationship with his family at home. On top of all that, he’s played by none other than Oscar-nominated The Secret Agent star Wagner Moura. Between the rich characterization and the voice behind the man, Brander is a character practically made for live-action, and fortunately, Moura agrees.
In an interview with Collider’s Maggie Lovitt, coinciding with his appearance on our Set Stories series, Moura was asked about the possibility of bringing Brander to life physically. He already has a look that appears inspired by the actor, given that Moura was cast years before he was officially announced, so it wouldn’t necessarily be hard to shift him to live-action if the opportunity arose. There’s so much the animation accomplishes with the character, in the star’s eyes, but he believes that his depth is worth exploring further through another style.
“So if they ever just want to do live action, it’s me with a mustache. I would love to have the opportunity of playing that character in a live action. Although I think the graphics of the show, of the series are really, really cool and amazing. But that’s a character that I would love to play in a live action because it’s a very interesting and deep, and profound character.”
Collider Exclusive · Sci-Fi Survival Quiz Which Sci-Fi World Would You Survive? The Matrix · Mad Max · Blade Runner · Dune · Star Wars
Five universes. Five completely different ways the future went wrong — or sideways, or up in flames. Only one of them is the world your instincts were built for. Eight questions will figure out which dystopia, galaxy, or desert wasteland you’d actually make it out of alive.
💊The Matrix
🔥Mad Max
🌧️Blade Runner
🏜️Dune
🚀Star Wars
01
You sense something is deeply wrong with the world around you. What do you do? The first instinct is often the truest one.
02
In a world of scarcity, what resource do you guard most fiercely? What we protect reveals what we believe survival actually requires.
03
What kind of threat keeps you up at night? Fear is useful data — if you’re honest about what you’re actually afraid of.
04
How do you deal with authority you don’t trust? Every dystopia has a power structure. Your approach to it determines everything.
05
Which environment could you actually endure long-term? Survival isn’t just tactical — it’s physical, psychological, and very much about where you are.
06
Who do you want in your corner when things fall apart? The company you keep is the clearest signal of who you actually are.
07
Where do you draw the line — if you draw one at all? Every survivor eventually faces a moment that tests what they’re actually made of.
08
What would actually make survival worth it? Staying alive is one thing. Having a reason to is another.
Your Fate Has Been Calculated You’d Survive In…
Your answers point to the world your instincts were built for. This is the universe your temperament, your survival instincts, and your particular brand of stubbornness were made for.
The Resistance, Zion
The Matrix
You took the red pill a long time ago — probably before anyone offered it to you. You’re a systems thinker who can’t help but notice the seams in things.
You’re drawn to understanding how the system works before figuring out how to break it.
You’d find the Resistance, or it would find you — your instinct for spotting constructed realities is the machines’ worst nightmare.
You function best when you have access to information and the freedom to act on it.
The Matrix built an airtight prison. You’d be the one probing the walls for the door.
The Wasteland
Mad Max
The wasteland doesn’t reward the clever or the well-connected — it rewards those who are hard to kill and harder to break. That’s you.
You don’t need comfort, community, or a cause larger than the next horizon.
You need a vehicle, a clear threat, and enough fuel to outrun it — and you’re good at all three.
You are unsentimental enough to survive that world, and decent enough — just barely — to be something more than another raider.
In the wasteland, that distinction is everything.
Los Angeles, 2049
Blade Runner
You’d survive here because you know how to exist in moral grey areas without losing yourself completely.
You read people accurately, keep your circle small, and ask the questions others prefer not to answer.
In a city where humanity is a legal designation rather than a feeling, you hold onto something that keeps you functional.
You’re not a hero. But you’re not lost, either.
In Blade Runner’s world, that distinction is everything.
Arrakis
Dune
Arrakis is the most hostile environment in the known universe — and you are precisely the kind of person it rewards.
Patience, discipline, and political awareness are your core strengths — and on Arrakis, they’re survival tools.
You understand that the long game matters more than any single victory.
Others come to Dune and are consumed by it. You’d learn its logic and earn its respect.
In time, you wouldn’t just survive Arrakis — you’d begin to reshape it.
A Galaxy Far, Far Away
Star Wars
The galaxy far, far away is vast, loud, and in a constant state of violent political upheaval — and you wouldn’t have it any other way.
You find meaning in being part of something larger than yourself — a cause, a crew, a rebellion.
You’d gravitate toward the Rebellion, or the fringes, or whatever pocket of the galaxy still believes the Empire’s grip can be broken.
You fight — not because you have to, but because standing aside isn’t something you’re capable of.
In Star Wars, that willingness is what makes all the difference.
Brander’s Personal Life Resonated With Moura in ‘Star Wars: Maul – Shadow Lord’
While he may be the antagonist of Shadow Lord, Lawson is certainly no villain. He has a strong moral code that guides him and, despite everything, he’s trying to do what’s right, not just what the Galactic Empire wants. The fact that he’s a good man at heart, dedicated to his job, is what ultimately puts him and Two-Boots on a collision course with Maul, though he’s still a bit rough around the edges in a way that Moura finds compelling. I love the fact that this is a man who is both, you know, like he’s a good man. He’s kind of a hero, kind of the good guy, but also he’s not like… he’s a very street-smart cop,” he added. Sometimes, Lawson “doesn’t follow the protocol,” but it’s all in service of standing up for what he thinks is right. “He is a cop that has a way to move in that universe.”
As an actor who travels constantly, especially after The Secret Agent sent him to one award show after another, he found the deepest appreciation for Lawson as a father. Thanks to his work rooting out the corruption of Janix, being there for his son Ryles isn’t always easy, but it does add a bit of harsh reality to the character. Moura would like to see more of that side in a live-action appearance. There are enough unexplored avenues, like what’s going on with Brander’s wife, that he feels justify more expansion for this deep character who otherwise only plays a small, yet compelling role in the Star Wars universe.
“But the thing that I love most, it really resonates with me, is the fact that he’s a father that tries to be present, but sometimes that’s a very hard thing to accomplish. With myself, with the kind of work that I have, that forces me to travel all the time, it’s really hard to be present. To be, like, this job versus family time is a very hard thing. This is a thing that resonated a lot with me. It’s a man, you know, his wife is not around. What happened to them? But they’re separated, are they? How is he raising this kid by himself? So I think there’s lots of complexities that are great in the animation, in the series, the way it is. But would be great for a live-action thing too.”
Star Wars: Maul – Shadow Lord Season 1 is now streaming on Disney+. Stay tuned here at Collider for more on the future of the series and its standout characters, and watch our new episode of Collider Set Stories with Moura below.
