The gestating ‘Coming to America 2′ now has Wesley Snipes onboard the cast. He will play a new character, General Izzi, a man who rules a neighboring nation.
Snipes is most popular for his role as the titular character in the ‘Blade’ trilogy from several years ago. Other credits include Marco Brambilla’s ‘Demolition Man,’ Patrick Hughes’ ‘The Expendables 3,’ and Spike Lee’s ‘Chi-Raq.’ Next, he will appear in RZA’s ‘Cut Throat City,’ releasing sometime this year.
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.
Moreover, the goal is to reassemble the original cast, which includes Shari Headley, John Amos, and James Earl Jones. Also, Jermaine Fowler (‘Crashing,’ ‘Sorry to Bother You’) was cast in an unknown role.
Craig Brewer (‘Hustle & Flow,’ ‘Empire’) is directing the film. Speaking of, Brewer, Snipes, 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.
As of now, there is no official title, but it could be ‘Coming 2 America.’
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: The Hollywood Reporter