We live in a reboot/relaunch culture, so it was only a matter of time before every beloved staple of our childhood was reimagined for the 21st century. What’s old is new again, and ripe for hitting your audience’s pockets with feelings of nostalgia. This is why it’s not too surprising that Paramount is looking to produce a sequel Coming to America (presumably titled Coming to America 2), the 1988 comedy starring Eddie Murphy as Prince Akeem, who flees to America from his African nation of Zamunda to escape an arranged marriage and find true love.
Brought to our attention by The Hollywood Reporter, the sequel has lined up Jonathan Levine (Warm Bodies) to direct, with Black-ish creator Kenya Barris handling the script. Even though Murphy hasn’t officially signed on for the project, THR reports the actor will reprise his role as Prince Akeem. So far no release date has been set.
The original Coming to America featured appearances from many actors who would go on to have successful careers, including former late-night host Arsenio Hall as Akeem’s best friend Semmi, John Amos as the owner of the McDonald’s knock-off McDowell’s, Shari Headley as Akeem’s love interest Lisa McDowell, and everybody’s favorite Sith voiceover actor, James Earl Jones as Akeem’s father King Jaffe Joffer.
“Luke, I am your father”
What has me curious is where will Coming to America 2 pick up the story? Did Akeem and Lisa get married and live happily ever after? Did McDonald’s finally put McDowell’s out of business? These are the type of questions that need to be answered.
What do you think about Coming to America 2? Is it the sequel you’ve been waiting for? Let us know in the comments below!
Images: Paramount
Tim Adams is a freelance writer who loves comics and the TV and movies that feature them. Follow him on Twitter!
