Malik Yoba To Return For ‘Empire’ Season 2?

Malik Yoba seemed a little hurt that his character was killed off on the season finale of “Empire,” but there’s word he may be returning to the show.
He was definitely in his emotions when he spoke to TMZ about how his on-screen ended last week. As it turns out he’s been stewing about this for a while because the show had just taken off when he found out that Vernon wasn’t going to make it.
Malik got the call about Vernon’s death fairly early on in the show’s run. As matter of fact, the cast was still basking in the glow of a successful first episode!  “This was five days after the premiere. This was two days before it got picked up [for season 2],” he told “The Brilliant Idiots” during a recent interview. “We were one week in—not even a full week!”
Adding insult to injury was the fact that Malik was in Ferguson raising money for Saving Our Sons by promoting a special screening of “Empire” episode 2. He’d just finalized all the plans when Lee Daniels called him up to deliver the bad news. “It was a shock,” Malik said. “In terms of the series regulars, I was the first one to get the call.”
While it’s not likely Malik will be on-screen again, he told “The Brilliant Idiots” that he’s probably not done with “Empire” just yet. There’s a chance that he could be returning to the show in a creative capacity! “I’m supposed to come back as director,” he said, hinting that it’s not definite right now.  “They said I can be a director on there season 2. I was promised. We’ll see.”
If Malik does wind up directing an episode next season, we wonder if he’ll work in a ghostly visit from Vernon.

Malik’s return is still a bit up in the air, but Patti LaBelle will be back on “Empire” for sure next season.
“Patti LaBelle will return,” she told “Entertainment Tonight” while practicing for her next “Dancing With the Stars” routine. “At first Lee [Daniels] had me playing an angel. I said, ‘An angel? That means I’m over!’ You know?”
Lee eventually relented and gave her a more substantial part. She recalled, “He said, ‘OK, Lala. I’m gonna give you a part and you’re going to come back all the time.'”