Lucifer was always intended to be a series from its inception, originally conceived as a three-part film. The first part was made into the film Lucifer. The success of the first film led to the decision to proceed with the second installment in the series. The announcement for Empuraan was made in June 2019, and production, originally planned for mid-2020, faced delays due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Murali took the opportunity to expand the scale and scope of Empuraan. The screenplay was finalised in July 2022, and pre-production began the following month. Lyca Productions joined as a producer in 2023, marking their debut in Malayalam, alongside Aashirvad Cinemas, the producer of the original. The film's music was composed by Deepak Dev.
The second installment of a trilogy, the film acts as a prequel and sequel that covers Stephen’s rise to power as the infamous Khureshi Ab’raam as well as the aftermath of his departure from Kerala politics at the end of Lucifer.
No official announcement of a follow-up was made for Lucifer (2019), despite its open ending. The possibility of a continuation was confirmed by writer Murali Gopy in an April 2019 interview, shortly after the release of Lucifer. He clarified that "Lucifer is definitely designed as a franchise, and it is very evident from its structure and progression."[11] The official announcement of a second film and its title took place during a press conference on 18 June 2019. Shedding light on the meaning of the title, Prithviraj Sukumaran said that Empuraan signifies "someone who is more than a king, but less than a god," with a more literal translation being "overlord". Murali revealed that Lucifer was conceived as a series right from its inception. The success of the first film gave them confidence to proceed with Empuraan, said Prithviraj. Production was planned to commence in the second half of 2020.[12]
In September 2019, Prithviraj further revealed that Empuraan is part of a three-film series.[13] The trilogy was originally envisioned as a three-season web series, the first season was transformed into the film Lucifer, while the second and third seasons were adapted for the subsequent installments.[14] Prithviraj clarified that Empuraan does not continue the story of Lucifer but rather delves into the events that occurred before and after it, and that they have built "a franchise structure that visits every aspect of the story".[15] Murali hinted that Empuraan would unveil more layers of the narrative.[12]
The onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 led to the postponement of the production.[16] In September 2020, Murali presented a comprehensive design brief of Empuraan to Prithviraj, who stated that it assisted him in visualising an edited and colour-corrected version of the film.[17] Pre-production, that was set to begin in 2021, was again delayed due to the pandemic.[18] In the meantime, Prithviraj directed another film, Bro Daddy (2022), in the third quarter of 2021.[19] In October 2021, Prithviraj disclosed that they were still waiting for the pandemic situation to subside, as they could not proceed with location scouting under that situation and expressed hope to start filming by mid-2022.[20]
In 2022, Murali revealed plans to "scale up the magnitude and scope" of Empuraan.[21] He was in the process of writing the screenplay in May 2022,[22] which he completed that month.[23] In July, Prithviraj announced the completion of Empuraan's final script and informed lead actor Mohanlal and returning producer Antony Perumbavoor.[24] The following month, the team officially announced through social media that they had entered the pre-production phase, "we are starting the actual process of making the film from today (17 August 2022)", wrote Prithviraj. Murali categorised Empuraan as a second installment rather than a sequel. Prithviraj described the film as a "commercial entertainer".[25] In September 2023, the Tamil film production house Lyca Productions announced their involvement in the production of Empuraan, marking their debut in Malayalam cinema, along with Aashirvad Cinemas, the producer of Lucifer. Additionally, Prithviraj's company Prithviraj Productions is credited for "project design".[26]
Casting
Mohanlal reprises his role of Stephen Nedumpally / Khureshi Ab'raam. During the film's announcement, it was revealed that Prithviraj's character Zayed Masood would have more prominence in Empuraan.[12] Prithviraj said that Zayed's role in Stephen's life is bigger than what was shown in Lucifer.[15] In February 2020, Tovino Thomas confirmed his involvement in the project.[27] In February 2023, Baiju Santhosh confirmed that he would reprise his role as Murugan.[28]Manju Warrier, Indrajith Sukumaran, Saikumar, Fazil and Sachin Khedekar were also confirmed to reprise their respective roles.[29] In May 2023, Suraj Venjaramoodu, Arjun Das, Sharafudheen and Shine Tom Chacko were cast in pivotal roles.[30] In October, Saniya Iyappan was confirmed to return as Jhanvi, despite her earlier decision to take a break to pursue a bachelor's degree in acting.[31]Adil Ibrahim and Sunil Sukhada confirmed that they would not be reprising their roles in the film.[32][33]
Filming
Following a six-month-long location scouting process in India, which concluded in February 2023, the film crew embarked on a recce in international locations.[34]Principal photography was originally scheduled to commence on 15 August.[35] However, it was postponed after Prithviraj sustained an injury on the sets of Vilayath Buddha.[36] Production eventually began with a customary muhurtam shot on 5 October at Faridabad on the outskirts of Delhi and Haryana. It primarily featured foreign actors and extras. Shooting was shifted to Shimla, Himachal Pradesh after a day of shooting in Faridabad.[37][38] Filming also took place in Leh, Ladakh.[39] First schedule was completed in Ladakh on 28 October.[40] The crew has mostly utilised practical effects for the action sequences.[41][42] The stunts were choreographed by Stunt Silva.[36]Sujith Vaassudev and Mohandas were retained as the cinematographer and art director respectively.[34]Nirmal Sahadev served as the creative director.[43]Suresh Balaje and George Pius of Wide Angle Creations served as the film's line producers.[44]
The crew went for location scouting in London in November.[45] The second schedule took place in January 2024 across the United Kingdom.[46]Tovino Thomas and Indrajith Sukumaran joined production during the third schedule in the United States, with Arizona, Louisiana, New Mexico and New York serving as the locations.[47][48] The fourth schedule was shot at Chennai before moving to Kerala.[49][50] The sixth schedule at Gujarat started from June 2024, however production was temporarily halted due to heavy rainfall.[51] Filming resumed on the last week of September 2024 and the remaining portions at Gujarat wrapped up in thirteen days, after which the Crew immediately shifted to Hyderabad for a brief schedule.[52] The pending portions of Trivandrum schedule finished by the last week of October 2024 and comprised locations such as Kanakakkunnu Palace, The Leela Kovalam, Adimalathura Beach and CRPF training ground in Pallippuram.[53] The penultimate schedules of filming took place at Kuttikkanam, Vandiperiyar during October last week, at United Arab Emirates during the beginning of November and then at Mumbai. The last schedule marked fourteen months since the first schedule and filming took place in succession at Ernakulam, Chalakudy and Palakkad with the final shot of the film captured during the early hours on December 1st, the 145th day of production, as confirmed by the film’s director and actor Prithviraj Sukumaran. Sharing the news on social media, he stated, “At 5:35 am today, by the banks of the Malampuzha Reservoir, we canned the final shot of #L2E #Empuraan. See you in theatres in 117 days!”.[54][55]
Music
The film's music is composed by Deepak Dev, who composed music for the prequel. In March 2023, Dev said that he had already started the music work for Empuraan.[56]
Marketing
The principal cast of Lucifer was presented with character posters and revealed on each of the 27 days preceding its release.[57][58] The team is expected to launch a similar and extensive poster release campaign for the second installment as well. Within a week of wrapping up production, the team confirmed that the first cut was finished and that Post-production was moving at a brisk pace.[59] The release date was announced on Kerala Piravi with a poster featuring a mysterious figure dressed in white and adorned with a red Dragon, which sparked widespread discussion among fans regarding the identity and background of the character.[60][61] Birthday posters were released for Mohanlal as Khureshi Abraam, Prithviraj as Zayed Masood and Indrajith as Govardhan, the latter two characters reportedly having more prominent screen presence with regards to the first installment.[62][63]
Release
In November 2022, while the film was in pre-production, Prithviraj stated that they have not decided on a release date for the film.[64] Beside its original release in Malayalam, the film would be released in Tamil, Telugu, Kannada and Hindi languages.[65] The film is also marketed with the short title L2E by the makers and is slated for theatrical release worldwide on 27 March 2025, coinciding the sixth year anniversary of Lucifer.[66][67][68]
Future
As announced by the team, Lucifer is a trilogy, implying the existence of a third film as a continuation of the series. During a September 2019 event, Prithviraj mentioned that the third film will explore a much darker theme in the series.[69]
