section_path: Production/Development
section_name: Development
paragraph_text: Development
  
  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 interview in April 2019, 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." 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 L2: Empuraan, said Prithviraj. Production was planned to commence in the second half of 2020.
  
  In September 2019, Prithviraj further revealed that L2: Empuraan is part of a three-film series. 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 instalments. Prithviraj clarified that L2: 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". Murali hinted that L2: Empuraan would unveil more layers of the narrative. Although it maintains continuity, the film was conceived as a standalone entry, not requiring viewers to have seen the first film.
  
  The onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 led to the postponement of the production. In September 2020, Murali presented a comprehensive design brief of L2: Empuraan to Prithviraj, who stated that it assisted him in visualising an edited and colour-corrected version of the film. Pre-production, that was set to begin in 2021, was again delayed due to the pandemic. In the meantime, Prithviraj directed another film, Bro Daddy (2022), in the third quarter of 2021. 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.
  
  In 2022, Murali revealed plans to "scale up the magnitude and scope" of L2: Empuraan. He was in the process of writing the screenplay in May 2022, which he completed that month. In July, Prithviraj announced the completion of L2: Empuraan ' s final script and informed lead actor Mohanlal and producer Antony Perumbavoor. 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 L2: Empuraan as a second instalment rather than a sequel. Prithviraj described the film as a "commercial entertainer". In September 2023, the Tamil film production company Lyca Productions announced their involvement in the production of L2: 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". In March 2025, Sree Gokulam Movies joined the project as a co-producer, reportedly due to a financial dispute between Lyca Productions and Aashirvad Cinemas.
  
  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 interview in April 2019, 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." 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 L2: Empuraan, said Prithviraj. Production was planned to commence in the second half of 2020.
  
  In September 2019, Prithviraj further revealed that L2: Empuraan is part of a three-film series. 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 instalments. Prithviraj clarified that L2: 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". Murali hinted that L2: Empuraan would unveil more layers of the narrative. Although it maintains continuity, the film was conceived as a standalone entry, not requiring viewers to have seen the first film.
  
  The onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 led to the postponement of the production. In September 2020, Murali presented a comprehensive design brief of L2: Empuraan to Prithviraj, who stated that it assisted him in visualising an edited and colour-corrected version of the film. Pre-production, that was set to begin in 2021, was again delayed due to the pandemic. In the meantime, Prithviraj directed another film, Bro Daddy (2022), in the third quarter of 2021. 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.
  
  In 2022, Murali revealed plans to "scale up the magnitude and scope" of L2: Empuraan. He was in the process of writing the screenplay in May 2022, which he completed that month. In July, Prithviraj announced the completion of L2: Empuraan ' s final script and informed lead actor Mohanlal and producer Antony Perumbavoor. 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 L2: Empuraan as a second instalment rather than a sequel. Prithviraj described the film as a "commercial entertainer". In September 2023, the Tamil film production company Lyca Productions announced their involvement in the production of L2: 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". In March 2025, Sree Gokulam Movies joined the project as a co-producer, reportedly due to a financial dispute between Lyca Productions and Aashirvad Cinemas.