Amazon has set a release for its major acquisition of Coming 2 America from Paramount Pictures, but the date is a little farther off than you might have been expecting—March 5, 2021. The long-awaited sequel to Coming to America had originally been meant to hit theaters this winter on Dec. 18, before the COVID-19 pandemic put an obvious dent in those plans. Amazon then acquired the film in a massive $125 million global rights deal. They’ll no doubt be hoping that, like the recent release of Borat Subsequent Movie Film, it will bring a lot of eyes to Amazon Prime Video. The Borat sequel was reportedly watched by “tens of millions” of viewers in its first weekend, according to Amazon, and the global reach of the corporation will mean that Coming 2 America is available in more than 240 countries.
The film will return to the African monarchy of Zamunda and its new king Akeem (Eddie Murphy), flanked by advisor Semmi (Arsenio Hall) and Queen Lisa (Shari Headley), all returning from the 1988 original film by John Landis. Plot details are pretty under wraps, but apparently involves the crew returning to New York once again, back to Queens. Many characters from the original are set to return, including King Jaffe Joffer (James Earl Jones), Cleo McDowell (John Amos), Maurice (Louie Anderson) and the regulars of the Queens barbershop crew. Additionally, Coming 2 America adds quite a few new faces to the cast, including Wesley Snipes, Tracy Morgan, Teyana Taylor, Leslie Jones, Bella Murphy and Jermaine Fowler. It’s directed by Craig Brewer, from a script by Kenya Barris, Barry W. Blaustein and David Sheffield.
“Coming to America was a cultural phenomenon that is one of the most loved and celebrated comedies of all time,” said Jennifer Salke, Head of Amazon Studios in a statement. “Thanks to Eddie Murphy’s comedic genius along with the brilliant filmmakers, writers and fabulous cast, we couldn’t be more excited to celebrate this new adventure. We know audiences around the world will fall in love with this hilarious, joyful movie that will surely become a timeless favorite.”
We don’t have a trailer for Coming 2 America yet, but stay tuned—we’ll bring it to you when it arrives.