Star Wars 9: THIS iconic character to RETURN? Actor may have just dropped a big hint

Ray Park is the man behind Darth Maul, and was last seen making a surprise cameo in 2018’s ill-fated spin-off Solo: A Star Wars Story. That film left the door open for him to come back again and expand his story, which – as fans of the animated shows will know – did not in fact end when he was ‘killed’ in The Phantom Menace. And although his new comment on Instagram is hardly concrete proof that he’s set to reprise the role once more, it’s certainly set tongues wagging.

Park posted a Father’s Day picture to Instagram, to which someone replied: “Your the fittest I’ve seen in a cool minute you must be doing some mail stuff.”

The assumption is that “mail” is a typo or autocorrect from Maul.

And Park responded with just a coy pair of emojis: a thumbs-up, and a winking smiley face.

This has sparked discussion on the Star Wars Leaks Subreddit, with speculation over how he could come back.

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Of course Star Wars Episode 9: The Rise of Skywalker is the next movie in the works, and rumours are rife that some reshoots are currently in the works right now.

But given that Maul was killed – again – in the Rebels series, that could be something of a stretch; unless he’s seen in flashback or in some other form.

What’s proving more popular is the idea that he could get his own Disney+ series, or appear in another – such as the Cassian Andor prequel.

There has also been speculation that the Solo tale could continue in some capacity: possibly linking to the third, as yet unconfirmed Star Wars movie.

Park delighted fans when Maul was seen in Solo, but unfortunately the movie was soon classed as a flop.

Poor marketing, and a release date in such close proximity to The Last Jedi, were blamed for its commercial disappointment, which came despite generally positive reviews.

That movie ended with Emilia Clarke’s Qi’Ra going off to meet Maul, turning her back on Han (Alden Ehrenreich).

Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker is out on December 19.