’90s action mainstay (and tax fraud legend) Wesley Snipes is the latest to join Eddie Murphy’s forthcoming Coming to America sequel, Deadline confirms.
The 1988 John Landis (oof)-directed original starred Murphy as a weary and pampered African prince who flocks to Queens in the hopes of escaping an arranged marriage. With Murphy set to reprise his role, the forthcoming Paramount sequel revolves around the prince discovering he has a son he never knew about back in the city and setting out to find him.
Looks like Snipes is set to play General Izzi, the ruler of a nation neighboring Murphy’s character’s kingdom, starring alongside previously announced leads Jermaine Fowler (Sorry to Bother You) and Arsenio Hall, the latter of whom will reprise his role as Semmi from the original film.
The Craig Brewer-directed, Kenya Barris-scripted sequel (tentatively titled Coming 2 America, for your information) marks the second project he, Snipes and Murphy have worked on together. The trio previously collaborated on the Rudy Ray Moore biopic Dolemite Is My Name, set to premiere at next month’s Toronto International Film Festival.
Paramount Pictures has set a Dec. 18, 2020, release date, per Variety. Stay tuned for any further updates on the production.