Chris Rock 'feasted on human body parts' as cannibal doing jail time with Lucious Lyon but Fox cut 'grotesque' plotline from Empire season 2

Published: 12:40 EST, 16 September 2015 | Updated: 15:06 EST, 16 September 2015

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When Chris Rock agreed to make a guest appearance on Fox's hit series Empire, co-creator Lee Daniels came up with a mind-blowing storyline.

The director made Rock's character, who's behind bars with jailed Lucious Lyon, a cannibal.

Daniels shot the season two opener to include a scene where Rock, 50, is seen 'with a plate of human body parts in front of him,' according to The Hollywood Reporter, but it was nixed by the network.

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Toned down: In season two of Empire, Lucious Lyon, played by Terrence Howard, is behind bars where he strikes up a friendship with another inmate played by Chris Rock, who originally was going to be a cannibal

The trade publication, in a behind-the-scenes look at the hit show published Wednesday, said Fox execs had shot down the idea of Rock playing a cannibal when first approached with the idea.

But Daniels went ahead and filmed the story arc as he originally envisioned it 'including one particularly grotesque scene featuring the actor with a plate of human body parts before him.'

Apparently that was too much for the top brass and the actor and comedian had to return to Empire's Chicago set in August to do re-shoots.

Shaking it up: Daniels shared this picture of himself on set with Howard and Rock during filming in late June. Rock was required to return for reshoots in August after Fox execs nixed his cannibal plotline

Sources told The Hollywood Reporter that the cannibal plotline was scaled back so much it's barely detectable in the season two opened that premieres on Wednesday September 23.

The idea, though, is an indication of how much Daniels wants to keep the drama running high on the series that centers around hip-hop and a family-owned entertainment company CEO played by Terrence Howard.

At the end of season one, Howard's character Lucious Lyon is arrested on suspicion of murder, hence the prison plotline with a twist.

Joined the Empire: The actor and comedian, pictured last month in New York, said he wanted to do 'something really kind of cool and twisted' on the show

'He's Lee, so he's going to give you those OMG moments,' said writer Joshua Allen. 'You're going to tweet about anything Lee Daniels does because he's going to keep it outrageous.'

Empire showrunner Ilene Chaiken revealed Rock had been completely on board with Daniels' original idea.

She said he'd told her in an exploratory phone call he'd love to be a part of the show but wanted 'to do something really kind of cool and twisted.'

It's a philosophy Daniels clearly embraces.

'You gotta shake 'em up to make 'em think,' he told THR.

They're back: The family returns for season two as they continue to battle over the hip-hop empire. The season opener premieres on Wednesday September 23 on Fox. Pictured are Bryshere Gray, Trai Byers, Jussie Smollett, Terrence Howard and Taraji P. Henson.