While Empire has already concluded on Fox after six seasons, it looks like the story will further continue moving forward. It has been, previously, revealed that Empire spin-off is in the works starring Taraji P. Henson, who will reprise her role as Cookie Lyons.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, Henson teams up again with series co-creators Danny Strong and Lee Daniels for the Empire spin-off that's all about Cookie Lyons. Strong serves as the showrunner of the potential series alongside Yolanda Lawrence and Stacy A. Littlejohn.
Henson will executive produce, as well as Strong, Daniels, Lawrence, Littlejohn, and Sanaa Hamri, who is also set to direct the series. In addition, Brian Grazer and Samie Falvey of Imagine Entertainment are also returning to exec produce.
The follow-up series hails from the now Disney-owned 20th TV, just like the original show. This is also the first project from a newly signed two-year first-look deal Henson signed with 20th Century Fox TV. The actress's newly launched production company TPH Entertainment produces the series.
As for what could be the plot of Empire spin-off, everything remains under wraps at the moment. But, sources told THR that the story will follow Cookie Lyons as she moves to Los Angeles and some of her family members might be featured, as well.
The series could also help the original show to deliver a proper ending as the series finale was unable to produce due to production shutdown and global health crisis. After all, Daniels and Strong left the story open, with previous rumors frequently suggesting Henson leads the follow-up series.
Daniels, in particular, has also been open over the past years about wanting to do an Empire spin-off. He even co-created music drama Star, which existed in the same world as Empire but wasn't considered as an official spin-off despite frequent crossovers.
Back in 2017, rumors emerged that Empire prequel may happen and will focus on the younger version of Cookie. But, the project didn't happen because it was never ordered by the network. Still, Henson made it clear that she's interested in being part of the Empire world for as long as possible.
Since Empire spin-off is still in the works, the official release date remains uncertain right now. There are still a lot of things that needed to be considered first, including casting, writing scripts, filming, and more. Because of this, we can't expect the follow-up series arriving anytime soon on Fox.
