Coming To America 2 is happening at Paramount Pictures with Eddie Murphy returning in the lead role of African Prince Akeem.
Craig Brewer, known for the Empire TV series, and who recently directed Murphy in Dolemite Is My Name, is helming the sequel, with the script being written by Black-ish writer Kenya Barris who is rewriting a script by original Coming to America writers Barry Blaustein and David Sheffield.
Deadline has it that in the sequel, Akeem learns about a long lost son, and must return to America to meet his unlikely heir to the throne of Zamunda. It’s stated the intention is to bring back the original cast including Arsenio Hall, who played the prince’s aide Semmi; Shari Headley, who was courted by the prince when he went undercover as a fast food worker; John Amos, who played her father, and James Earl Jones, who played the king.
“After many years of anticipation, I’m thrilled that Coming to America 2 is officially moving forward,” Eddie Murphy said in a statement. “We’ve assembled a great team that will be led by Craig Brewer, who just did an amazing job on Dolemite, and I’m looking forward to bringing all these classic and beloved characters back to the big screen.”
Said Kenya Barris: “Craig’s ability to create a distinct cinematic world with each of his films is not only impressive, but also what made him exactly the voice and vision we needed to bring this story to life. From Hustle and Flow to his work with Eddie on Dolemite Is My Name, he never fails to blow me away. He is a true auteur and we couldn’t be more thrilled to have him on board.”
The original Coming To America was released June 29, 1988 and brought in almost $289 million, which in today’s dollars equates to around $579 million.
