The gestating ‘Coming to America 2′ now has five more actors onboard. The film is a sequel to the 1988 comedy starring Eddie Murphy and Arsenio Hall, and both Murphy and Hall will be reprising their roles of Prince Akeem and Semmi, respectively.
So, without further ado, here are the actors onboard, with the ones returning in bold:
- Paul Bates (‘True Romance,’ ‘8 Mile’) returning as Oha, Prince Akeem’s stiff-upper-lipped manservant and bodyguard.
- James Earl Jones (‘Rogue One: A Star Wars Story,’ ‘The Lion King’) returning as King Jaffe Joffer.
- Leslie Jones (‘Saturday Night Live,’ ‘Ghostbusters’) in a role being kept under wraps.
- Kiki Layne (‘If Beale Street Could Talk,’ ‘Captive State’) as Prince Akeem’s daughter, burdened with feeling like she is the son her father never had.
- Rick Ross (‘SuperFly,’ ‘Uncle Drew’) in an undisclosed role.
Also, Wesley Snipes (‘Blade,’ ‘Chi-Raq’) will play General Izzi, a man who rules a neighboring nation, while Jermaine Fowler (‘Crashing,’ ‘Sorry to Bother You’) has an unknown role.
Moreover, the goal is to reassemble the original cast, which means Shari Headley and John Amos remain.
Meanwhile, Craig Brewer (‘Hustle & Flow,’ ‘Empire’) is directing the film. Brewer and Murphy recently collaborated on Netflix’s ‘Dolemite Is My Name,’ releasing this year. Kenya Barris (‘Black-ish’) is rewriting a script by original ‘Coming to America’ writers Barry Blaustein & David Sheffield.
The premise of the long-awaited comedy is below:
“Akeem (Murphy) is set to become King of Zamunda but then he discovers he has a son he never knew about in America – a street-savvy Queens native named Lavelle. Honoring his father’s dying wish to groom this son as the crowned prince, Akeem and Semmi (Hall) set off to America.”
Additionally, costume designer Ruth E. Carter (‘Selma,’ ‘Black Panther’) and production designer Jefferson Sage (‘Spy,’ ‘A Simple Favor’) are onboard.
Further, filming is aiming to begin August 12th and wrap November 8th. Locations include New York, New Jersey, Atlanta, and Los Angeles.
Paramount will release the film on December 18, 2020.
Source: Deadline and The Hollywood Reporter