At the height of Eddie Murphy's popularity as an actor and comedian, he came out with a hilarious, outrageous and sweet comedy classic called Coming to America. The movie told the story of Prince Akeem, a member of African royalty who travels to New York to find his queen.
The movie was a massive success, further elevating Murphy's star status and after over 30 years, fans will finally get the sequel they have been waiting for. News has been ramping up about Coming 2 America with anticipation continuing to build. While there's still a long wait for the film, there are plenty of details already. Here's everything we know so far about Coming 2 America.
Long Development
It would be an understatement to say that this sequel has been a long time coming. The first film came out in 1988 and given how immensely popular it had been, it is surprising a follow-up was not more immediate. Whispers of the movie had been around for years, but Murphy's involvement seemed to be what held the project up.
With such a long wait in between films, there is a question of whether the sequel has come too late. We've seen plenty of long-delayed comedy sequels fail to match the originals. But in this era of nostalgia-obsession, this might be the perfect time for the film.
Eddie Murphy Returning
It's hard to believe that there were once rumors that the film might actually go forward without Eddie Murphy's involvement. During the long development history of the film, the sequel was announced before Murphy was even confirmed to return.
Luckily, Murphy will be returning in the lead role, making the movie much more of a safe bet. Murphy's recent film work hasn't been the same as his heyday, but this sequel could be a return to form for the wild and electric Eddie Murphy we know and love.
New Director
The first film was made by John Landis who Murphy had previously worked with on Trading Places. Despite Landis being hired at Murphy's insistence, the two reportedly clashed frequently while making this film. Though they reteamed for Beverley Hills Cop III, it's no surprise a new director was brought in for the sequel.
The man helming the sequel will be Craig Brewer who has directed a number of high-profile films like Hustle & Flow as well as the 2011 remake of Footloose. He recently collaborated with Murphy on the upcoming Netflix film Dolemite Is My Name, suggesting the two might work well together.
The Plot
The first film found Prince Akeem traveling to America to find his queen, so where could the sequel go from there? While the official plot details have not been announced, it has been reported that the film will focus on Akeem discovering he has an heir back in America and he travels back to meet his son.
This idea does have a lot of potential and is a fun path to take the franchise. The first film proved to be a fairly effective love story so it will be interesting to see if they can bring the same heart to a father-son relationship in this film.
Original Cast Members
Though Eddie Murphy was clearly the star of the show in the original, there were plenty of supporting players who helped make the movie that much better. The most notable co-star was Arsenio Hall as Akeem's loyal friend, Semmi.
Also returning is Shari Headley as Lisa, Akeem's new queen as well as John Amos as her father. It was recently reported that Louis Anderson will reprise his role as Maurice, the fast-food employee. And of course, James Earl Jones will return as Akeem's father, King Jaffe Joffer.
New Additions
As exciting as it is to see so many familiar faces returning for the sequel, the movie is also bringing along some great new cast members. Rounding out Akeem's new family are KiKi Layne (If Beale Street Could Talk) as his daughter and Jermaine Fowler is rumored to play the long-lost son.
Some more famous names joining the cast include Saturday Night Live's Leslie Jones who is rumored to play the mother of Akeem's son. Also, Wesley Snipes was recently cast as the leader of another fictional African nation.
Multiple Roles
One of the most memorable aspects of Coming 2 America is the fact that Eddie Murphy played multiple roles in the film. While this is not the first or last time an actor has done this, Murphy proved to be uncanny in his transformations and gave the movie several outrageous and hilarious characters.
While it's not confirmed if Murphy will reprise some of those secondary roles, it does look like he will be playing multiple characters yet again. Most intriguingly, it was rumored that Murphy will actually be playing the movie's villain. Though that role seems to have been filled by Snipes, Murphy could still be playing one of the film's antagonists.
Stand-Up Return
Murphy has been keeping a relatively low-profile in the movie world as of late so the prospect of him revisiting one of his most popular movies is a real thrill for his fans. But even more exciting is the possibility that Murphy will return to his roots in stand-up comedy.
On a recent appearance on Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee, Murphy expressed his desire to take to the stage again. Not long after, it was reported he made a lucrative deal with Netflix for future comedy specials. It could be that Murphy's return to stand-up will be set-up to coincide with his return to his popular film.
Release Date
After all these years, it's likely very surreal for some fans to hear the sequel to Coming to America finally has a release date. Now more than ever, the film feels like it is really going to happen.
The film was first set for an August 2020 release but now has been pushed back to December 18, 2020. The delay might worry fans who have been tricked before, but such a move is not uncommon, especially for a movie that has just begun its production. We can all mark our calendars that the film seems to really be on its way this time.