Looking at Eddie Murphy's extensive resume of comedy work, it's safe to say that 1988's Coming to America is one of his most well-known projects. The story about the Zamundan prince who traveled to the United States and went undercover to search of a woman to marry was a commercial smash, and it was reported in early 2017 that Coming to America 2 was in the works. Today brings word that Murphy will be reuniting with the Dolemite is My Name director for the sequel.
Craig Brewer, who just directed Eddie Murphy in Dolemite is My Name, the upcoming Netflix biopic about X-rated comedian Rudy Ray Moore, has been hired to helm Coming to America 2. Jonathan Levine had previously been tapped for that job, but apparently unknown circumstances led to his departure, and now Brewer will be sitting in the director's chair. Here's what Murphy told Deadline about Brewer coming aboard for Coming to America 2:
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.
As for Coming to America 2's story, the sequel will see Eddie Murphy's Akeem returning to the United States to find his long-lost son, who is heir to the throne of Zamunda. The goal is to bring back as many actors from Coming to America as possible, which included Arsenio Hall, James Earl Jones, John Amos and Shari Headley. Former Black-ish showrunner Kenya Barris is rewriting the script penned by the original Coming to America writers, Barry Blaustein and David Sheffield. Murphy will produce alongside Kevin Misher, and Barris will executive produce.
Coming to America 2 is just the latest example of a sequel that's coming out decades after the original, like Independence Day: Resurgence and Blade Runner 2049. Still, the story they've come up with handles the passage of time quite well, and as you can tell by his statement, Eddie Murphy clearly had a great experience working with Craig Brewer on Dolemite is My Name if he felt that the director was a good fit for Coming to America 2.
Whether or not they'll be able to bring back as much of the original Coming to America cast as possible remains to be seen, but it would be nice to see those familiar faces rather than have Eddie Murphy be the only connective thready between the two movies. Craig Brewer's other directing credits include Hustle & Flow, the Footloose remake and episodes of Empire.
While Coming to America 2 doesn't have a release date yet, production will ideally begin sometime later this year. Stay tuned to CinemaBlend for more updates on its development. In the meantime, feel free to look through our 2019 release schedule to plan your trips to the theater this year accordingly.
