Since being released 30 years ago, it looks like the wheels are turning for a ‘Coming to America’ sequel. The original classic film was released in June of 1988 and told the story of a very wealthy and pampered Prince Akeem, played by Eddie Murphy, who comes to America in search of a bride.
Eddie Murphy, who will reprise his role as Prince Akeem, will be directed by Craig Brewer for Paramount Pictures. According to Deadline, Brewer recently directed Murphy in the Rudy Ray Moore biopic ‘Dolemite Is My Name’ and landed the position to direct Murphy once again. In addition to Eddie Murphy, the plan is to bring back the original cast, which includes Arsenio Hall, Shari Headley, James Earl Jones, and John Amos.
“After many years of anticipation, I’m thrilled that Coming to America 2 is officially moving forward,” 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.”
Kenya Barris will be rewriting the script, which was originally penned by Barry Blaustein and David Sheffield. Deadline reports 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.
Kenya Barris shared what makes Craig Brewer the perfect director for this project.
“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,” said Barris. “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.”
Murphy is producing with Kevin Misher and Barris is executive producing. There is no start date for ‘Coming to America 2’, but the hope is that production begins in 2019.