'Coming To America 2' Finally Moving Forward With Eddie Murphy Starring And Director Craig Brewer [Updated]
Update: The Coming to America sequel will open August 7, 2020. Our original story continues below.
There have been rumblings of a Coming to America sequel since 2017. Eddie Murphy was on board to reprise his role as Prince Akeem, a young man from the fictional nation of Zamunda who abandoned his arranged marriage and found a bride that he truly loved in the most royal place in America: Queens, New York. But we haven't heard anything on the movie since 2017. That changes today.
Hustle & Flow and Footloose remake director Craig Brewer is signing on to direct Coming to America 2. The filmmaker is fresh off working with Eddie Murphy on a new movie called Dolemite is My Name, and the comedian was eager to collaborate with Brewer again. Find out more below.Deadline has word on a Coming to America 2 director finally being hired, which gives us hope that the sequel will finally move forward. When the sequel was first announced, the original film's writers Barry Blaustein and David Sheffield came back to write the script, which got a rewrite from Black-ish creator Kenya Barris, and was supposed to be directed by 50/50 filmmaker Jonathan Levine. But now it has fallen in the hands of Craig Brewer.
As for the story, Eddie Murphy learns that he has a long lost son, who just so happens to be in America. So he must head back to the United States to retrieve his son, who will be the rightful and unlikely heir to the throne of Zamunda. That plot doesn't entirely make sense since Prince Akeem's time in America was not spent fornicating, but legitimately trying to find the love of his life, which he did in the form of Lisa (Shari Headley), a young woman whose family owned a McDonald's ripoff restaurant called McDowell's. So I wonder how that's going to be explained in the sequel.
In addition to Eddie Murphy returning, the hope is most of the original cast will be back. that includes Shari Headley as Akeem's future queen, Arsenio Hall as the prince's loyal aide Semmi, John Amos as the owner of the McDowell's empire, and James Earl Jones, Akeem's father and the king of Zamunda. Unfortunately, Madge Sinclair won't be back as Queen Aoleon since she passed away in 1995, but perhaps there's a chance Allison Dean may return as Lisa's sister Patrice.
Eddie Murphy sounds prime to revive one of his most beloved comedies as he told Deadline:
"After many years of anticipation, I'm thrilled that Coming to America 2 is officially moving forward. 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."
Craig Brewer isn't the first name that comes to mind when you think of comedy directors, but writer Kenya Barris sings his praises and explains why he's a good fit:
"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 question is whether this comedy can live up to the legacy of the original, which is easily one of the best things Eddie Murphy has done. It remains funny to this day, and it's one of those nstances where Eddie Murphy playing multiple characters was actually funny, love before the days of The Nutty Professor and Norbit.