Director Craig Brewer and Black-ish Creator Kenya Barris attached to upcoming project
Paramount Pictures is set to move forward with Coming to America 2 starring Eddie Murphy, who will reprise his role as Akeem, a pampered African prince who travels to Queens, New York, and goes undercover to find a wife who he can respect for her intelligence and will.
Craig Brewer is attached to direct Murphy in the follow-up to the 1988 hit comedy Coming to America which grossed $288M worldwide ($160M overseas).
Brewer just wrapped production with Murphy on Dolemite is My Name, and the Beverly Hills Cop star was eager to work with him again.
“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, the creator of Black-ish, is rewriting a script by original Coming to America writers Brarry Blaustein and David Sheffield. Murphy is producing with Kevin Misher and Barris is executive producer.
“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.”
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. The intention is to bring back the original cast which includes 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.
There is no start date, but the hope is that production begins in 2019.
This news was first reported in Deadline.