Given that the COVID-19 pandemic has not abated, the future of all movies planning to be released in 2020 seems to be in the exact same place things were back in March – which is to say that everything is up in the air. Some studios will continue to bet on the possibility of making theatrical releases happen between now and the end of December, but others will formulate plans for PVOD distribution or sell off projects to streaming services.
As of right now, Craig Brewer's Coming 2 America appears to be in the former camp, set to hit the big screen just in time for Christmas, but if current rumors pan out then that may not be true for too long. According to Washington Post reporter Steven Zeitchik, there have been conversations going on behind the scenes at Paramount Pictures that could eventually lead to the Eddie Murphy-starring sequel finding distribution on a streaming service instead of playing in theaters.
If this sounds somewhat familiar, it's because Paramount does have a history of pulling off this kind of maneuver. A few years ago the studio set up a whole surprise release for Julius Onah's The Cloverfield Paradox when they dropped it on Netflix immediately following the Super Bowl, and in 2020 they've made two similar deals. First Paramount partnered with the streaming giant to put Michael Showwalter's The Lovebirds out into the world, and then just a few weeks ago it was announced that Aaron Sorkin's The Trial Of The Chicago 7 will not be getting the big screen treatment.
The rumblings reported by Zeitchik don't specify exactly which streaming service might get Coming 2 America, but Netflix would make sense not only because of their history with Paramount, but because of their history with Craig Brewer/Eddie Murphy movies. Last year the director/actor duo earned rave reviews for their work on the Netflix exclusive Dolemite Is My Name, and one could imagine that the streaming service would be supremely eager to get back into business with them just one year later.
Based on a screenplay by Kenya Barris, Coming 2 America is a follow-up to the 1988 Eddie Murphy classic Coming To America, which saw the star as an African prince who travels to the United States in search of true love. The sequel will catch up with him as his reign as king is disrupted by the news that he has a long lost son. The film co-stars Arsenio Hall, Shari Headley, Jermaine Fowler, Leslie Jones, John Amos, Tracy Morgan, Wesley Snipes, and James Earl Jones.
Until the news is confirmed by Paramount Pictures this is just speculation – but it's most definitely a development that we are going to keep an eye on. Answer our poll below regarding what you think the future should hold for Coming 2 America
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