Empire will cut final season short after production was forced to shut down due to growing coronavirus pandemic
Empire will come to a premature end after the coronavirus pandemic forced filming to shut down.
The hip hop drama was always intended to finish after its current sixth season but the planned season finale has now been abandoned.
According to Deadline, the 18th episode will now serve as the series finale and will include footage from the unfinished episode 19, airing April 21 on Fox.
Ending early: Empire will come to a premature end with episode 18 after the coronavirus pandemic forced filming to shut down
Episode 19 was halfway through shooting before the enforced shutdown, being incorporated to ‘help create a more seamless overall ending.’
The promo after this Tuesday’s episode 15 teased: ‘Get ready for the shocking final three episodes of Empire.’
Empire’s finale was originally intended to be episode 20, which never made it to production.
The show focuses on the fictional hip hop music label Empire Entertainment and its founders the Lyon family, premiering in 2015 and quickly becoming a ratings hit for Fox.
Final episode: The 18th episode will now serve as the series finale and will include footage from the unfinished episode 19, airing April 21 on Fox
Production cancelled: Empire’s finale was originally intended to be episode 20, which never made it to production
All about Cookie: A possible spin-off featuring Taraji P Henson’s character Cookie Lyon is reportedly in the early stages of development
A possible spin-off featuring Taraji P Henson’s character Cookie Lyon is reportedly in the early stages of development.
Creator Lee Daniels has previously stated that it was ‘without question’ there would be a spin-off investigating the backstory of the Lyon family matriarch.
Lee explained back in 2015 at the TCA summer press tour: ‘I have to tell a story that I know. I can’t tell it unless I’ve lived it. Ok, here Cookie is now, but how did she get to where she’s at right now?
‘Let’s go back and understand her mother, her sisters. Let’s understand the makings of her. It’d be like a prequel.’
Plans for the final season had already been altered after Jussie Smollett, who played Jamal Lyon, abruptly left the show after facing indictment for allegedly staging a fake hate crime attack and filing false police reports last January.
BTS scandal: Plans for the final season had already been altered after Jussie Smollett, who played Jamal Lyon, abruptly left the show after facing indictment for allegedly staging a fake hate crime attack and filing false police reports last January