L2: Empuraan | |
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![]() Theatrical release poster | |
Directed by | Prithviraj Sukumaran |
Written by | Murali Gopy |
Produced by | |
Starring | |
Cinematography | Sujith Vaassudev |
Edited by | Akhilesh Mohan |
Music by | Deepak Dev |
Production companies | |
Distributed by |
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Country | India |
Language | Malayalam |
L2: Empuraan (stylised as E.M.P.U.R.A.A.N), also called L2E, is an upcoming Indian Malayalam-language action thriller film directed by Prithviraj Sukumaran and written by Murali Gopy. It is the second instalment in a planned trilogy, succeeding the 2019 film Lucifer. The film is jointly produced by Subaskaran Allirajah of Lyca Productions and Antony Perumbavoor of Aashirvad Cinemas. The film stars Mohanlal as Khureshi-Ab'raam / Stephen Nedumpally, reprising his role from the original, alongside Prithviraj, Manju Warrier, and Tovino Thomas in the returning cast. The film's music was composed by Deepak Dev.
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 instalment 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 commenced the following month. Lyca Productions joined as a producer in 2023, marking their debut in Malayalam cinema, alongside Aashirvad Cinemas, the producer of the original.
Principal photography began on 5 October 2023 in Faridabad.
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."[1] 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.[2]
In September 2019, Prithviraj further revealed that Empuraan is part of a three-film series.[3] 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.[4] 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".[5] Murali hinted that Empuraan would unveil more layers of the narrative.[2]
The onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 led to the postponement of the production.[6] 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.[7] Pre-production, that was set to begin in 2021, was again delayed due to the pandemic.[8] In the meantime, Prithviraj directed another film, Bro Daddy (2022), in the third quarter of 2021.[9] 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.[10]
In 2022, Murali revealed plans to "scale up the magnitude and scope" of Empuraan.[11] He was in the process of writing the screenplay in May 2022,[12] which he completed that month.[13] In July, Prithviraj announced the completion of Empuraan's final script and informed lead actor Mohanlal and returning producer Antony Perumbavoor.[14] 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 instalment rather than a sequel. Prithviraj described the film as a "commercial entertainer".[15] 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".[16]
Mohanlal reprises his role of Khureshi-Ab'raam / Stephen Nedumpally. During the film's announcement, it was revealed that Prithviraj's character Zayed Masood would have more prominence in Empuraan.[2] Prithviraj said that Zayed's role in Stephen's life is bigger than what was shown in Lucifer.[5] In February 2020, Tovino Thomas said he is part of the cast.[17] In February 2023, Baiju Santhosh confirmed that he would reprise his role as Murugan.[18] Manju Warrier, Indrajith Sukumaran, Sachin Khedekar, and Alexx O'Nell also returns.[19] In May, Shine Tom Chacko, Arjun Das and Rahul Madhav were confirmed to play significant roles in the film.[20] In October, Saniya Iyappan was confirmed to reprise her role as Jhanvi, despite she having announced a break from acting to pursue a bachelor's degree in acting in the United Kingdom. She is scheduled to join the sets in April 2024.[21]
Sujith Vaassudev was retained as the cinematographer. 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.[22] Principal photography was originally scheduled to commence on 15 August.[23] However, it was postponed after Prithviraj sustained an injury on the sets of Vilayath Buddha.[24] 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 one day of work in Faridabad.[25][26] Filming also took place in Leh, Ladakh.[27] First schedule was completed in Ladakh on 28 October.[28]
The second schedule is charted to begin in January 2024 in the United Kingdom. In the meantime, the crew went for location scouting in London in November.[29] Nirmal Sahadev served as the creative director.[30] Suresh Balaje and George Pius of Wide Angle Creations were the line producers.[31] Action choreography was handled by Stunt Silva.[24]
Deepak Dev returned as the music composer. In March 2023, Dev said that he had already started the music work for Empuraan.[32]
In November 2022, while the film was in pre-production, Prithviraj stated that they have not decided on a release date for the film.[33] Beside Malayalam, the film would be released in Hindi, Kannada, Tamil, and Telugu languages.[34] The film is also marketed with the short title L2E by the makers.[35]
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.[36]