Actors Taraji P. Henson and Jussie Smollett attend Fox's 'Empire' ATAS Academy Event at The Theatre at The Ace Hotel on March 12, 2015 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo : Angela Weiss/Getty Images)
"Empire" Season 3 started off with a bang. Aired on Sept. 21, Wednesday, the season premiere episode titled "Light in Darkness" picked up after Hakeem Lyon's (Bryshere Y. Gray) ill-fated wedding ceremony, in which his fiancé Laura Calleros (Jamila Velazquez) left him in the altar.
Hakeem's father Lucious Lyon (Terrence Howard) married Anika Calhoun (Grace Gealey) making her unable to testify against him to the FBI. Anika happened to be pregnant with Hakeem's child and his Lucious's former fiancé.
"Empire" Season 2 finale had a shocking cliffhanger. Rhonda (Kaitlin Doubleday) confirmed that Anika had pushed her down the stairs earlier in the season, making her lose her baby. The two got into another fight that ended with one of them falling over the balcony.
Showrunner Ilene Chaiken was pretty definitive after the finale. In an interview with Variety, she said, "It sure as hell looks like someone died. The cliffhanger is someone dies."
Days before "Empire" Season 3 premiered, Chaiken was very subtle when it comes to giving spoilers. She said Rhonda and Anika were both such dark, sexy and interesting characters and she could not imagine saying goodbye to either one of them.
"Empire" Season 3 is welcoming three new cast members. They are "Grey's Anatomy" alum Ajiona Alexus, new actor Jeremy Carver and Jorge Lendeborg Jr.'s "The Land" co-star Ezri Walker, according to Deadline.
Alexus and Carver will be shown in the flashback scenes of "Empire" Season 3. They will play young Cookie and young Lucious, respectively.
Young Cookie will be seen in a Catholic school uniform. The flashback scenes will show how her heart was captured by the teenage Lucious, who had a bad boy image.
On the other hand, Walker will play a nerdy teenager named Zeah. The character is 16-year-old aspiring rapper who is torn between a future at an elite university and a career at Empire under Lucious's guidance.
"Empire" Season 3 returns on Sept. 21 at 9/8c on Fox. Watch the preview of "Empire" Season 3 episode 1 "Light In Darkness" here:
