Amazon Studios has unveiled the first trailer for “Coming 2 America,” which sees the return of Eddie Murphy as the charming Prince Akeem.
In the upcoming sequel, Prince Akeem, who is set to become the king of the fictional country of Zamunda, finds out he has a son he never knew about — a street-savvy Queens native, Lavelle. To honor the former king’s dying wish to raise his grandson as the crown prince, Akeem and his younger brother, Semmi, once again leave for America.
The 1988 “Coming to America,” directed by John Landis, introduced Murphy as a young royal who moves to New York City to escape an arranged marriage. Murphy’s co-stars James Earl Jones and Arsenio Hall will also reprise their roles as King Jaffe Joffer and Semmi, respectively. They will be joined by Jermaine Fowler, Leslie Jones, Tracy Morgan, KiKi Layne, Shari Headley, Wesley Snipes, John Amos, Teyana Taylor, Vanessa Bell Calloway, Paul Bates, Nomzamo Mbatha, and Bella Murphy.
Originally set for release in theaters from Paramount Pictures, the film’s distribution rights were sold to Amazon Studios in October due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.
Hall recently spoke to Complex about the key ingredient that makes the sequel work.
“What I love most is we didn’t lose the main agenda, the humor,” he said. “It’s a funny fucking movie, and I’m proud that we hit all those bumps and checked all those boxes. It’s funny—it does everything you need it to do, but it’s also funny, and I think people will love the additions to it. There are some surprises here that will surprise people who don’t get surprised.”
“Coming 2 America” is produced by Kevin Misher and Brian Oliver, and the screenwriters are David Sheffield, Barry W. Blaustein and Kenya Barris. The film is set to premiere on March 5.
Watch the trailer below: