According to The Hollywood Reporter, Coming 2 America, the much anticipated sequel Eddie Murphy’s Coming to America, has cast Wesley Snipes and Leslie Jones. Kiki Layne from If Beale Street Could Talk has also joined the project.
Deadline also reported that James Earl Jones and Paul Bates were reprising their roles as King Jaffe Joffer and Oha respectively, and that Rick Ross had joined the cast as well.
The sequel will be directed by Craig Brewer, who is currently working with Murphy on the Netflix movie, Dolemite is My Name, and Kenya Barris is writing the script.
The film will reportedly focus on Murphy’s Akeem returning to America to find his long lost son, played by Jermaine Fowler.
The original film is such a classic that I’m looking forward to this film and also a bit anxious about it. You can’t ever recapture the old magic but I hope they can bring something fresh. It’s great that so many actors who probably grew up on the original will be able to take part in rebooting the franchise.
Ron is the founder and Editor-in-Chief of POC Culture. He is a big believer in the power and impact of pop culture and the importance of representation in media.