'Coming 2 America' set for Prime Video release on 5th March 2021
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Kyriakos Georgiou
Amazon Studios have recently acquired the worldwide rights of the highly anticipated Eddie Murphy sequel from the 1980s cult comedy classic ‘Coming to America’. With a $125m acquisition fee from Paramount Pictures, the originally planned December 18th theatrical release of ‘Coming 2 America’ is now set for an early 2021 release, exclusively on Amazon’s digital streaming service Prime Video.
Set in the familiar yet not so familiar royal land of Zamunda, we see Eddie murphy reprise his iconic role of Akeem, but this time he’s King Akeem. Teamed with his loyal and trusted confidante Semi (played by Arsenio Hall) they embark on an all-new hilarious adventure that has them traversing the globe (again) from their great African nation back to the vibrant borough of Queens, New York – where it all began.
(Above) Eddie Murphy on location as Akeem.
Fans of the original Coming to America will be pleased to see iconic favourites return to reprise their symbolic roles. This includes King Jaffe Joffer (James Earl Jones), Queen Lisa (Shari Headley), Cleo McDowell (John Amos), Maurice (Louie Anderson) and our personal favourites Clarence (Eddie Murphy) and the rest of his My-T-Sharp barbershop crew.
Joining the classic cast in Queens, are an ensemble of new characters portrayed by the likes of Wesley Snipes, Leslie Jones, Tracy Morgan, Jermaine Fowler, Bella Murphy, Rotimi, KiKi Layne, Nomzamo Mbatha and Teyana Taylor, making Coming 2 America the most anticipated comedy film of the year.
“Coming to America was a cultural phenomenon that is one of the most loved and celebrated comedies of all time,” said Jennifer Salke, Head of Amazon Studios. “Thanks to Eddie Murphy’s comedic genius along with the brilliant filmmakers, writers and fabulous cast, we couldn’t be more excited to celebrate this new adventure. We know audiences around the world will fall in love with this hilarious, joyful movie that will surely become a timeless favourite.”
“What could be better than a return to Zamunda? We are so excited for Amazon Studios to bring Eddie Murphy and Coming 2 America to a worldwide audience where they can laugh again with characters they have loved for 30 years, and meet new ones that they will love for years to come,” said producer Kevin Misher.
(Below) Louie Anderson (Maurice) with Eddie (Prince Akeem).
Directed by Craig Brewer from Paramount Pictures in association with New Republic Pictures and produced by Misher Films along with Eddie Murphy’s own production company ‘Eddie Murphy Productions’, Coming 2 America has been on the cards for many years. The original ‘Coming to America‘ released in 1988, directed by John Landis, became a box office sensation achieving over $288 million in total worldwide box office gross. The comedy was translated to over 25 languages around the globe and has had a cult following ever since. ‘Coming to America‘ is not only timeless but also a proudly celebrated American comedy, making the film a go-to classic across generations. The memorable characters and relatable story of a fish-out-of-water connected audiences around the world, which is why fans have made it a repeat-viewing over the years.
With the immense following from the original and almost thirty-three years later, producer and lead star Eddie Murphy said this whilst on the Ellen Show – “A lot of people have this expectation, like people would say to me when they found out I was doing it, ‘Don’t f— that movie up.’ So we’ve gone above and beyond what anybody would think. I’m really, really happy with it.”
(Above) Eddie Murphy as Clarence in 'Coming to America'.
If Eddie is happy then surely that’s a good sign right? Unfortunately we will have to wait another four months until we get to see the wonderful cast back in action again. Until then the original ‘Coming to America‘ is available to rent/buy now on Prime Video. We definitely recommend watching if you haven’t already seen it. If you have… watch it again!
Here are a few more production photos to get you hyped!
What returning characters are you excited to see? Also, do you think they’ll be able pull it off like the original? Leave a comment below and let us know what you think.
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