Coming 2 America: Amazon to purchase Eddie Murphy sequel for December debut

Good morning, my neighbors! Someone crank up the volume on some Randy Watson and Sexual Chocolate because we've got major news about COMING 2 AMERICA, the long-anticipated sequel to Eddie Murphy's 1988 comedy classic. It's been reported that Paramount Pictures just sold COMING 2 AMERICA to Amazon Studios for $125 million, according to insiders. Now that the film is within their mighty grasp, Amazon expects to premiere the sequel on their streaming service on December 18th.

Set to direct the follow-up to John Landis' 1988 comedy – starring Eddie Murphy, Arsenio Hall, James Earl Jones, and Shari Headley – is HUSTLE & FLOW helmer, Craig Brewer. He'll shoot from a newly-written screenplay by BLACK-ISH and GIRLS TRIP alum Kenya Barris. Confirmed to be reprising his role as Akeem is Murphy, who in the first film traveled to Queens, New York in search of a strong-willed bride to help rule the African territory of Zamunda. The original is a fish-out-of-water comedy that saw both Murphy and Hall playing multiple characters in the uproarious film.

In the sequel, Akeem learns about a long lost son – a street-savvy Queens native named Lavelle (Jermaine Fowler) – and must return to America to meet his unlikely heir to the throne of Zamunda.

Joining Murphy for the sequel is Arsenio Hall, Jermain Fowler, Leslie Jones, Shari Headley, Tracy Morgan, John Amos, Wesley Snipes, James Earl Jones, Louie Anderson, Vanessa Bell Calloway, Kiki Layne, Garcelle Beauvais, and Rick Ross, among others.

Barris has rewritten the script penned by COMING TO AMERICA writers Barry Blaustein and David Sheffield, with Murphy on board to produce. Additionally, Kevin Misher and Barris will executive produce the sequel.