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Coming to America Sequel Details

We're Headed Back to Zamunda! Coming to America's Sequel Finds a Director

COMING TO AMERICA, Eddie Murphy, Arsenio Hall, 1988

It's been 31 years since we've visited Zamunda, and it's about time we went back!

The long-awaited sequel to the 1988 romantic comedy Coming to America has taken a step closer to becoming an official reality. Paramount Pictures has tapped Craig Brewer, the director of Hustle & Flow and the Footloose remake, to lead the project. Brewer is fresh from having directed Eddie Murphy in the Netflix film Dolemite Is My Name, and according to Deadline, the two are eager to work together again.

Murphy is expected to return as Prince Akeem, who travelled from his fictional African country of Zamunda to escape an arranged marriage. He went on to find the love of his life and eventual queen, Lisa McDowell, in Queens, while giving us a plethora of iconic scenes. And yes, there are quite a few familiar faces in that clip, because Coming to America had a star-studded cast, including Arsenio Hall, Shari Headley, James Earl Jones, Samuel L. Jackson (briefly), and Louie Anderson. While we don't know who will be back for the sequel, we do know what the story is currently shaping up to be. Deadline reports that in the sequel, Akeem learns about a long lost son, and must return to America to meet his unexpected heir.

Black-ish creator Kenya Barris has been tapped to rewrite a script by original Coming to America writers Barry Blaustein and David Sheffield, while Murphy will serve as producer with Kevin Misher. There's no start date, but production will hopefully begin in 2019.

"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."

Image Source: Everett Collection
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