According to sources at Variety and Entertainment weekly, Paramount Pictures has hired “Hustle & Flow” helmer Craig Brewer to direct its sequel to the 1988 Eddie Murphy comedy “Coming to America.” Murphy is expected to return as the star.
The original movie was directed by John Landis, with Murphy playing a charming African prince who traveled to New York City to escape an arranged marriage. Arsenio Hall, James Earl Jones, Shari Headley, and John Amos co-starred in the “Coming to America,” which was a major hit, grossing nearly $300 million at the worldwide box office.
Here’s what Eddie has to say:
“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 [Is My Name], and I’m looking forward to bringing all these classic and beloved characters back to the big screen.”
The studio initially hired Jonathan Levine (Snatched) in 2017 to direct the sequel to the 1988 comedy, but he has since bowed out. The story sees Akeem returning to America when he learns of a long-lost son and unlikely heir to the throne of Zamunda. Paramount is hoping the bulk of the original cast — which included Arsenio Hall, James Earl Jones, Shari Headley, and John Amos — will return for the sequel.
black-ish creator Kenya Barris is rewriting the script, which was penned by Coming to America writers Barry Blaustein and David Sheffield. Fingers are crossed for production to start filming sometime this year.
This is history in the making and with such a team in place, we cannot wait for even the first trailer!
No release date has be set but, production is set set to start this year 2019. We’ll keep you posted!