Los Angeles: Actor-comedian Eddie Murphy is reprising one of his most famous roles — African Prince Akeem — for the sequel to “Coming to America”. Paramount Pictures bosses have tapped “Hustle & Flow” director Craig Brewer to take charge of the follow-up to the hit 1988 comedy, in which Murphy played an African prince on the hunt for a wife in New York, reports aceshowbiz.com.
Brewer just directed Murphy in “Dolemite Is My Name” and it appears the two men got along so well they started talking about the project in between takes. “Black-ish” creator Kenya Barris is reworking a script by Barry Blaustein and David Sheffield, who wrote the original “Coming to America”, while Murphy is among the producers.
According to Deadline, the sequel will revolve around the son of Murphy’s character, Akeem. The prince returns to America to meet his unlikely heir to the throne of Zamunda. Arsenio Hall, who played the prince’s aide Semmi, Shari Headley and James Earl Jones are all expected to return for the sequel. “After many years of anticipation, I’m thrilled that ‘Coming to America 2’ is officially moving forward,” Murphy said in a statement.
He added: “We’ve assembled a great team that will be led by Craig Brewer, who just did an amazing job on Dolemite, and I’m looking forward to bringing all these classic and beloved characters back to the big screen.”
