L2: Empuraan

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, following the 2019 film Lucifer. The film is jointly produced by Lyca Productions and Aashirvad Cinemas. It stars Mohanlal as Khureshi-Ab'raam / Stephen Nedumpally, reprising his role from the original, alongside an ensemble cast of Prithviraj Sukumaran, Manju Warrier, Tovino Thomas, Indrajith Sukumaran, Shakti Kapoor, Suraj Venjaramoodu, Manoj K. Jayan, Arjun Das, Bobby Simha, Sai Kumar, Sachin Khedekar and Fazil in prominent roles.

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 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.

Principal photography began on October 5, 2023, in Faridabad. Subsequent sporadic schedules were took place at various locations, including the United States, United Kingdom, UAE, Iran, Turkey, Georgia, Mexico and Russia.

Cast

 * Mohanlal as Khureshi-Ab'raam / Stephen Nedumpally
 * Adarsh as Young Stephen
 * Anil Kapoor as Makar khayil/Menace
 * Prithviraj Sukumaran as Zayed Masood
 * Karthikeya Dev as Young Zayed Masood
 * Manju Warrier as Priyadarshini Priya Ramdas
 * Angelina Abraham as Young Priyadarshini
 * Tovino Thomas as Jathin Ramdas
 * Indrajith Sukumaran as Govardhan
 * Pranav Mohanlal
 * Suraj Venjaramoodu
 * Arjun Das
 * Shakti Kapoor as Sanghani
 * Sharafudheen
 * Bobby Simha
 * Sachin Khedekar as P. K. Ramdas
 * Manoj K. Jayan
 * Sai Kumar as Mahesha Varma
 * Fazil as Father Nedumpally
 * Baiju Santhosh as Murugan
 * Nandu as P. S. Peethambran
 * Shivaji Guruvayoor as Medayil Rajan
 * Rahul Madhav
 * Giju John as Sanjeev Kumar
 * Shine Tom Chacko
 * Nyla Usha as Arundathi Sanjeev
 * Sshivada as Govardhan's Wife
 * Saniya Iyappan as Jhanvi
 * Aneesh G. Menon as Sumesh
 * Alexx O'Nell as Interpol Officer
 * Parvathy Menon Shijith as PKR's Wife
 * Vivek Oberoi as Bimal Nair / Bobby (Flashback Presence)
 * Kalabhavan Shajohn as Aloshy Joseph (Flashback Presence)
 * Antony Perumbavoor

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 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." 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.

In September 2019, Prithviraj further revealed that 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 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 Empuraan would unveil more layers of the narrative.

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 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 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 Empuraan final script and informed lead actor Mohanlal and returning 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 Empuraan as a second instalment rather than a sequel. Prithviraj described the film as a "commercial entertainer". 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".

Casting
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. Prithviraj said that Zayed's role in Stephen's life is bigger than what was shown in Lucifer. In February 2020, Tovino Thomas confirmed his involvement in the project. In February 2023, Baiju Santhosh confirmed that he would reprise his role as Murugan. Manju Warrier, Indrajith Sukumaran and Sachin Khedekar also reprise their repsective roles. In May 2023, Suraj Venjaramoodu, Arjun Das, Sharafudheen, Shine Tom Chacko, and Rahul Madhav were cast in pivotal roles. In October 2023, Saniya Iyappan announced that she would be reprising her role as Jhanvi, despite having announced that she would take a break from acting to pursue a bachelor's degree in acting in the United Kingdom.

Filming
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. Principal photography was originally scheduled to commence on 15 August. However, it was postponed after Prithviraj sustained an injury on the sets of Vilayath Buddha. 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. Filming also took place in Leh, Ladakh. First schedule was completed in Ladakh on 28 October. Nirmal Sahadev served as the creative director. Suresh Balaje and George Pius of Wide Angle Creations serve as the film's line producers. The action sequences were choreographed by Stunt Silva.

The crew went for location scouting in London in November. The second schedule took place in January 2024 across the United Kingdom. Tovino Thomas and Indrajith Sukumaran joined production during the third schedule in the USA, with Albuquerque, New Mexico, Louisiana and New York serving as the locations.

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.

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. Beside its original release in Malayalam, the film would be released in Tamil, Telugu, Kannada and Hindi languages. The film is also marketed with the short title L2E by the makers and would be the first Malayalam film to release in IMAX format.

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.