Taraji P. Henson getting ‘Empire’ spin-off series

The end of Empire may not mean the end of Cookie Lyon. Just announced this week, the long-rumoured spinoff starring Taraji P. Henson in her role as the matriarch of the Lyon family is moving forward with a development deal that will reunite Henson with Empire creators Lee Daniels and Danny Strong. Henson’s newly formed TPH production company will also be involved because only Cookie should be running Cookie’s show.The Hollywood Reporter has confirmed that Strong will reteam with Empire writers Yolonda Lawrence and Stacy A. Littlejohn for the spinoff. The trio will co-write the new show, which is currently in development at Fox. Sanaa Hamri, who directed and produced 11 episodes of Empire, has also been tapped to direct the spin-off. Henson, Hamri, Strong, Lawrence, Littlejohn and Daniels have all been listed as producers for the project.

 

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The still untitled Empire spin-off marks the first project announced from the new first look deal between Henson and her TPH production company and 20^th Century Fox TV. In addition to the spin-off, TPH and Christine Conley, who helped develop shows like About A Boy and Gypsy while at Working Title, will create and produce new shows for Fox under the two-year deal.Henson is the latest Black entertainer to a sign a development deal with a major studio, marking a long overdue move towards more diversity in storytelling and leadership in Hollywood.  Yara Shahidi’s deal with ABC and her newly formed 7^th Sun production company was announced earlier this week. In June, Oscar-winner Matthew Cherry signed a deal with Warner Bros. that will see the Hair Love creator helping to develop new projects for streaming and cable. We hope that these much-needed contracts are only the beginning.“I believe that normalizing stories around stigmatizing matters will make them more palatable for audiences to embrace,” said Henson in a statement about her partnership with Fox.  “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!”Empire was forced to end its six-season run in April without a proper conclusion. Like all TV and film sets, the Fox series was forced to abruptly shut down production in March and producers were left scrambling when filming on the finale was unfinished. Empire’s situation was not unique, but other shows like Supernatural delayed the release of their series finale until filming could be completed. Empire went forward and released a finale that tied up most loose end while still leaving the door open for a spin-off. Few details are known about the project, but multiple outlets are reporting that the series will open with Cookie relocating to Los Angeles.During its six-season run, Empire was a ratings hit for Fox and garnered BET, Emmy and Teen Choice nominations for acting and costumes. Henson won a Golden Globe Award for her role as Cookie and took home a Critic’s Choice Award. In 2016, she and co-star Terrence Howard both won NAACP Image Awards for acting, the same year Empire won the Outstanding Drama Series Award. In 2016, the show earned a Grammy nomination for its original soundtrack.In addition to its several awards, Empire broke new ground on television, showcasing the first Black gay wedding. In 2017, Daniels created the drama Star, which existed in the same world as Empire and featured several crossover episodes. Running for three seasons, the musical drama cast Amiyah Scott in a lead role, making her one of the only openly transgender actors to play a major character on television who is also transgender.[video_embed id='2000508']BEFORE YOU GO: Donald Glover could be coming back for more ‘Star Wars’ [/video_embed]