Akeem is back!
“Coming to America 2” is on its way, with Eddie Murphy set to reprise his role as Prince Akeem and filmmaker Craig Brewer on board to direct the long-awaited sequel to the 1988 classic comedy.
Murphy and Brewer (right) worked together on the upcoming Netflix comedy “Dolemite Is My Name,” which does not yet have a premiere date.
“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.”
According to Deadline, the sequel will reportedly center on Akeem — the prince of Zamunda, a fictional country in Africa — returning to America after learning he has a son.
The original flick involved Akeem traveling to the United States in an effort to find a wife. He did so in New York because he figures the best place to find the wife for a future king is — where else? — Queens.
A premiere date has not been revealed for the sequel.
Kenya Barris, the creator of multiple TV series including “Black-ish,” is executive producing “Coming to America 2” and is reportedly doing work on a script that was originally penned by David Sheffield and Barry Blaustein, who wrote the first movie’s screenplay.
Brewer’s other directorial credits include the dramas “Black Snake Moan” and “Hustle & Flow.”
According to Deadline, Brewer is hoping to bring back cast members Arsenio Hall, James Earl Jones, John Amos and Shari Headley for the sequel.
The original film, directed by John Landis, was the third-highest grossing film in the U.S. in 1988, trailing only “Rain Man” and “Who Framed Roger Rabbit?”
