Eddie Murphy Is Teaming Up With Director Craig Brewer for COMING TO AMERICA 2
Eddie Murphy’s Coming to America 2 is one big step closer to happening. Paramount Pictures has just hired Craig Brewer to direct the film. Brewer is best known for films such as Hustle & Flow, Black Snake Moan, Footloose, and Empire.
Murphy is set to reprise his role role as Akeem from the original 1988 comedy. Akeem is the 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.
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 producers are hoping to bring back the original cast which also 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.
The report points out that the female empowerment theme of the original movie seems timely in today’s climate. The script for the sequel was written by the original Coming to America writers Barry Blaustein and David Sheffield. Kenya Barris (Black-ish, Girls Trip) is rewriting that script.
Murphy said in a statement:
“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.”
Barris added:
“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. 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.”
Production on the sequel is said to start sometime in 2019. What are your thoughts on Murphy and Brewer making Coming to America 2?
Source: Deadline