With the runaway success of Fox’s hit series, “Empire,” it was only a matter of time before chatter of an impending spin-off began to circulate.
That chatter kicked into overdrive earlier this year when series co-creator Lee Daniels was quoted as saying “I think there is going to be a spin-off from ‘Empire’ without question.” More recently, aside from her controversial statements about ex-boyfriend 50 Cent, actress Vivica A. Fox, who has an upcoming turn on the show as Cookie’s older sister, reignited the rumors when she didn’t deny “Watch What Happens Live” host Andy Cohen’s suggestion that she could be a part of a pending spin-off.
Though it all sounds good, fans shouldn’t set their DVRs just yet, according to series executive producer Ilene Chaiken.
“Right now, we are focused on making the best season two of ‘Empire‘ we can possibly make,” Chaiken says. “In our world, there may well be storylines and characters that we can spin off, but that’s not what we are focused on right now, and nothing official or concrete is happening with regards to it. We really just want to stay focused on what we’re doing.”
Fox network exec Dana Walden seems to be a bit more open to the idea, even alluding that if such a thing were to happen, it could make its way onto the 2016-17 season roster.
“If there’s a character … that feels original enough, has enough momentum and enough of a storytelling engine, we will definitely look to spin ‘Empire’ off for next season,” Walden told Vulture magazine before adding that said character “would, in all likelihood, appear in the second half of this season.”
Whether or not we’ll get an “Empire” spin-off is obviously still in the air, but a completely different Lee Daniels project is happening for sure at Fox.
Production for Daniels’ music-focused drama, “Star,” is set to begin next month.
