Television

Empire Spinoff Starring Taraji P. Henson in the Works at FOX

The Empire is not dead yet.

After months of rumors, a spinoff of the hit FOX drama is officially in the works.

The potential series will revolve around the character of Cookie Lyon, meaning that Taraji P. Henson will reprise the role.

THR first reported the news, noting that the project comes from her newly signed two-year, first-look deal that the actress has signed with Empire producers 20th Century Fox TV.

What’s more, Henson’s production company, TPH Entertainment, is also attached to produce the series.

While details are scarce, the show will follow what happens to Cookie following the beloved drama’s sixth and final season, which was cut short by the coronavirus pandemic.

If you watch Empire online, you know the series wrapped without revealing whether Lucious and Cookie were really killed.

Thankfully, the new show should bring closure to that mystery.

Official plot details have not been revealed, but THR reports that Cookie will move to L.A. and that some of her family members could follow.

Danny Strong, who co-created the original series with Lee Daniels, will work with Yolanda Lawrence and Stacy Littlejohn to co-write the show.

They will also serve as showrunners.

“I believe that normalizing stories around stigmatizing matters will make them more palatable for audiences to embrace,” Henson said.

“Art can change perception and I plan to develop projects that can help further the conversation.”

“I also aim to help cultivate and establish new young talent and their stories because they are our future and deserve a voice and a platform to be heard. I’m so excited to have 20th, led by the talented Carolyn Cassidy, support me in this new endeavor!”

Added Cassidy, president of 20th TV: “We were lucky to have a front row seat to Taraji’s meteoric rise as a fixture on television through Empire. Through that relationship everyone at the company grew to appreciate her passion for storytelling and her strong creative gut instinct.”

“With Empire finished we look forward to helping her explore stories that need to be told through her talent and advocacy.”

Empire was a success story for FOX, with the original series becoming one of the most popular shows in the world.

However, the interest waned as the years went on, with the finale season wrapping to little fanfare.

But the one constant throughout was Taraji’s performance as Cookie, and that is a great enough reason to tune into a spinoff.

What do you think of this news?

Hit the comments below.

Paul Dailly is the Associate Editor for TV Fanatic. Follow him on Twitter.

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