Chris Rock, Alicia Keys, and Lenny Kravitz have signed on to star in the upcoming Season 2 of Fox's "Empire." The details about their characters and storylines have been kept under wraps.

In addition to roping in Rock, Keys, and Kravitz, "Empire" Season 2 has also roped in Ne-Yo. He will be writing the new original music along with the show's executive music producer Timbaland.  

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Speaking about "Empire" Season 2, Dana Walden, CEO and chairman at Fox, said to Entertainment Weekly that the new season will see "amazing" set of guest stars making an appearance. Walden believes that this will help them bring back the loyal audience as well as help them expand the show.

"Empire" Season 2 is expected to be bigger and better compared to the freshman season that aired this year. Jussie Smollett, who plays Jamal Lyon on the show, told Essence Magazine, as quoted by People, that the new season will "make Season 1 look like 'The Brady Bunch.'" And EW has quoted Gary Newman, the other chairman and CEO of Fox, as saying, "the stories we've heard already for season 2 will blow away the audience."

Meanwhile, Fox has increased the episode count of "Empire" Season 2. It has announced that the new season will consist of 18 episodes. According to reports, the sophomore season has been split into two halves, and the first half is scheduled to premiere this fall. The debut season consisted of 12 episodes. The "Empire" Season 1 finale reportedly was the highest-rated freshman finale in a decade, drawing a viewership of 21.1 million.  

Fox has yet to announce the premiere date of "Empire" Season 2. It is expected to return on Wednesday nights, as Newman has put an end to all the speculations about it moving to Thursdays, saying "We want to thank and reward our fans by keeping it in that time period."

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