Nearly thirty years after the release of the original film, Paramount Pictures is finally moving forward on a sequel to the hit Eddie Murphy-led comedy, Coming to America. The 1988 film saw Murphy playing an African prince who decides he wants no part in an arranged marriage and travels to Queens in search of a smart, independent-minded and loving wife.
The Tracking Board first reported the long-rumoured news and confirmed that writers of the original film, Barry Blaustein and David Sheffield, are on board to pen the sequel. Kevin Misher (Public Enemies, Carrie) is set to produce the film, which is still in the very early stages of development.
Murphy’s involvement with the sequel is unknown at the time, although one would assume that the film would have a hard time getting off the ground without his return as Prince Akeem. Of course, the creative team behind the movie could always take the (failed) Beverly Hills Cop route and have the continuation of the franchise revolve around the son of Murphy’s character. Murphy’s social media account did post out a tweet about the sequel back in March, although this was quickly deleted.
It’s been a number of years since Murphy has starred in a comedy, with his last major efforts being 2009’s Imagine That, 2011’s Tower Heist and 2012’s A Thousand Words; none of those films were exactly well-received by audiences or made much of a mark at the box office. Most recently he took on a dramatic role in the little-seen indie Mr. Church, which earned him mostly positive reviews, despite the film getting critically panned in general.
Coming to America came out during a time in Murphy’s career when he was unstoppable, churning out hits left and right. While the actor certainly isn’t the box office powerhouse he used to be, he can still bring in an audience. It’s hard to imagine that a Coming to America 2 wouldn’t result in an at least mildly successful box office run and perhaps the resurgence of Murphy’s acting career.
Coming to America was directed by John Landis and also starred Arsenio Hall, James Earl Jones, John Amos, Madge Sinclair, Shari Headley and Eriq La Salle.
Originally published April 13, 2017. Updated April 16, 2018.
