Last month, a new report surfaced that comedy legendEddie Murphyhas been secretly writing the screenplay forComing to America 2, a follow-up to his 1988 classic which he both starred in and received a story credit for. The news regarding this sequel was never confirmed, but first surfaced afterEddie Murphy’s verified Twitter account sent out a tweet about aComing to Americasequel, which lead to the actor’s entire account being deleted. Today we have confirmation that the sequel is actually happening, with originalComing to AmericawritersBarry BlausteinandDavid Sheffieldwriting the script.
The news first surfaced afterEddie Murphy’s Twitter account posted a cryptic tweet that only read, “Coming to Americasequel?” along with a photo of the Princess Imani character played byVanessa Bell Calloway. After the actor’s account was deleted, a report surfaced that claimedComing to America 2is in fact in the works, and that a tweet similar to the one that was posted was being planned, but it was reportedly sent too early by the actor’s social media team, who tweets for him.The Tracking Boardconfirms today thatBarry BlausteinandDavid Sheffieldwill write the script, whileKevin Misheris coming aboard to produce thiscomedy sequel.
No plot details were given forComing to America 2yet, and while it seems safe to assume thatEddie Murphywill be back as Prince Akeem of Zumunda, it remains to be seen if the rest of the cast will be back. The original movie followed Akeem, who is about to be married to Princess Imani (Vanessa Bell Calloway) in an arranged marriage. Akeem decides to go to America to secretly find his real queen, along with his servant Semmi (Arsenio Hall), where he finds the woman of his dreams (Shari Headley). The supporting cast includedJames Earl Jones,John Amos,Madge Sinclair,Paul Bates,Eriq La SalleandFrankie Faison. The film also featured early looks at a few soon-to-be stars, such asSamuel L. Jacksonas a criminal who tries to rob the McDowell fast food restaurant, andCuba Gooding Jr.in his feature film debut as a boy getting a haircut.
The original movie was a huge hit, earning $128.1 million domestically. While that tally doesn’t sound like much by today’s standards, in 1988, it was the third highest movie to be released that year, behind Who Framed Roger Rabbit? ($156.4 million) and Rain Man ($172.8 million).John Landisdirected the movie, which also featured anEaster Eggfrom the director andEddie Murphy’s previous collaboration, the 1983 comedy classicTrading Places, long before Easter Eggs were even part of the cinematic landscape. During a scene where Akeem and Lisa are taking a stroll, Akeem gives a bag to two homeless men, who turn out to me Randolph Duke (Ralph Bellamy) and Mortimer Duke (Don AmechefromTrading Places.
After writingComing to America,Barry BlausteinandDavid Sheffieldwould go on to write several morehit comedy moviesforEddie Murphy. The writing duo also wroteBoomerang,The Nutty ProfessorandThe Nutty Professor II, along withThe Honeymooners. They both also served as staff writers onSaturday Night Livefrom 1980 to 1983, and wrotePolice Academy 2: Their First Assignment.Barry Blausteinwould also write and direct the critically-acclaimed pro wrestling documentaryBeyond the Mat. Now thatComing to America 2is finally official, hopefully we’ll hear more details soon.
