Taraji P. Henson to Produce ‘Empire’ Spinoff Focused on Cookie Lyon

Empire came to an abrupt end following season 6 due to the coronavirus pandemic. But Taraji P. Henson is picking up the pieces with a spinoff series centered on her character, Cookie Lyon.

The actress’ production company, TPH Entertainment, will produce the show while Lee Daniels and Danny Strong will serve as executive producers.

The Hollywood Reports says the show will follow Cookie as she moves to Los Angeles, and Daniels and Taraji have both expressed that they eventually wanted to focus on the standout character.

“I believe that normalizing stories around stigmatizing matters will make them more palatable for audiences to embrace,” Henson said today of her new two-year deal with FOX.

“Art can change the perception and I plan to develop projects that can help further the conversation,” the Hidden Figures star added. “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!”