Empire show boss reveals Damon and Lucious fight to the death after losing Yana in lost season 6 finale
EMPIRE characters Damon and Lucious fought to the death after losing Yana in the season 6 finale only because production was impacted by coronavirus.
Filming of the sixth series of the American musical drama came to an abrupt end due to the COVID-19 global pandemic and so an unintended series ending was cobbled together.
The drama had originally been due to end with the upcoming 20th episode, but had to conclude with its 18th instead.
The new finale mixed together full scenes from episode 18 and some footage shot for 19 to try to complete the story.
Explaining the details, Empire showrunner Brett Mahoney told : "In a season finale, in all our season finales and our premieres, they're always jam-packed with huge moments.
"What it would have been, was Yana's (Kiandra Richardson) death was intended for the end of 18 and then picks up again at the start of 19. But that's basically how it went.
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"It's not that far off from how we intended it. At the end of that scene, Yana dies, and at the start of 19, we pick back up with both Damon (Wood Harris) and Lucious (Terrence Howard) mourning her death.
"After Yana's death, Damon and Lucious get into a deadly fight in which Damon is the one to perish and Cookie (Taraji P Henson), having realized her love for Lucious and desire to be with him, runs to him and saves him from almost dying himself.
"The series finale ends with Cookie, Lucious and their boys all at the Empire movie premiere, with Hakeem (Bryshere Y Gray) performing and Andre (Trai Byers) having chosen to stay with his family and try to be with his infant son.
"That was the intended ending of Episode 19, but then something happens and it all gets turned upside down.
“So, I knew what we had with the movie premiere and the lights going down and the movie going up, in my mind, when I was like, 'Is there a way I can end this series with the elements I shot?' And then it hit me, 'Oh, well that is sort of a closing point'."
Mahoney revealed he’s still hoping to give the characters the send-off they deserve by shooting some of the scenes that have been written but not filmed whenever it becomes possible.
Purposely holding back some details so as not to spoil it for viewers, Mahoney teased it will be about the Lyon family sticking together.
He said: "In terms of ultimate answers, the Lyons love each other, the family loves each other and they are together.
"But hopefully we'll be able to go that last lap to really show you where they go to in the end and answer those questions that are still lingering from the season and that each character can have a satisfying endpoint."
He added: "We do have it reflect the series in the spirit of how we wanted to end Empire, in terms of the Lyon family recognising their love for one another, recognising that the family is more important than 'Empire', and recognising Cookie and Lucious together.”
Empire airs on Fox in the US and 5Star in the UK.