Eddie Murphy is known for playing multiple characters in many of his films and it's something that was established in 1988's Coming To America. In the years since the film's release, Murphy has engaged in this schtick with varying degrees of success and it can be argued that the film that comes closes to seeing Murphy shine in multiple roles is 1996's, The Nutty Professor. The actor played Sherman Klump, the entire Klump family, Buddy Love, and a fitness instructor in the film and while speaking on "Jake's Takes" YouTube channel, he reveals that he toyed with the idea of adding some of those characters to the Coming To America sequel.
Murphy has been making the rounds promoting Coming 2 America, which hits Amazon Prime Video this Friday, and he says that the Klumps almost made an appearance in the film in a sort of universe crossover. There were to appear in a circumcision scene but Murphy stated the scene turned out to be too strange a bit "too expensive" due to the extensive effects needed for him to become all of the characters:
"There was a scene in this Coming 2 America we just did. There was a scene where the Klumps, remember the circumcision scene? Originally, the Klumps kind of popped up in that scene. In the long run, it was too hard a left, and it would have been too expensive to do. So yeah, they were in this thing."
The Nutty Professor was released in 1996 and was a remake of the 1963 film of the same name starring Jerry Lewis. In the film, Murphy portrays a university professor named Sherman Klump, a kind-hearted and intelligent man who is morbidly obese. Klump eventually develops a miraculous, but experimental, weight-loss pharmaceutical, and hoping to win the affection of the girl of his dreams, tests it on himself. The end result is Sherman becoming Buddy Love, a vigorous, charismatic but evil alter ego. Murphy played seven characters in the film and after a string of films that underperformed, proved to be a big hit with critics and audiences for the actor. The film is 64% fresh on Rotten Tomatoes and went on to gross $128.8 million at the domestic box office and $273.9 million worldwide on a $54 million budget.
Realizing the popularity of the Klump family, who only appear in three scenes in the first film, Nutty Professor II: The Klumps puts more focus on the family and they become a substantial part of the narrative. Unlike the first film, the sequel was met with distaste from critics, scoring a rotten score of 26% on Rotten Tomatoes but the film was still financially successful. By the end of its run, the movie grossed $123.3 million at the domestic box office and $166.3 million worldwide on an $84 million budget.
Coming 2 America already seems like a crowded endeavor so a cameo from the Klump family may have been a little much. Directed by Craig Brewer, Coming 2 America finds Akeem (Murphy) learning that he has a long-lost son in the United States and now he must return to America to meet the unlikely heir to the throne of Zamunda. Penned by Kenya Barris, Barry W. Blaustein, and David Sheffield, with a story by Blaustein, David Sheffield, and Justin Kanew, the film also stars Arsenio Hall, James Earl Jones, Shari Headley, Louie Anderson, John Amos, Wesley Snipes, Leslie Jones, Tracy Morgan, Jermaine Fowler, Bella Murphy, Rotimi, KiKi Layne, Nomzamo Mbatha and Teyana Taylor.
Do YOU think Eddie Murphy should've kept the Klump family cameo in Coming 2 America?