It’s Official: After 29 Years, The ‘Coming To America’ Sequel Is Happening

0
Coming to America (1988) Directed by John Landis Shown from left: Eddie Murphy (as Prince Akeem), Arsenio Hall (as Semmi)

In the summer of 1988, John Landis’ romantic comedy, Coming To America, was released; quickly becoming a commercial success, while simultaneously inflicting on the world a painfully one-dimensional representation of Africa and Africans.  

Now, it looks like that beloved but hugely problematic film will be getting a sequel penned by Black-ishcreator and Girls Trip screenwriter, Kenya Barris – inadvertently misinforming a whole new generation along the way.

The original film followed Akeem Joffer (played by Eddie Murphy), the crown prince of Zamunda (just one of the 111 fictional African countries Hollywood has created for us), who moves to the United States with the hopes of finding a woman he can marry.

While news of a sequel has been circulating all year, this is the first time we are actually getting something concrete. The sequel will be directed by Jonathan Levine (50/50), while Barris will be working from a draft by the writers of the 1988 original.

The only element left in the air is whether Eddie Murphy will be returning, According to The Hollywood Reporter, Murphy is “expected to star,” but hasn’t actually signed any kind of deal yet. Anyway, let’s hope the movie is less problematic this time around.

(Source: GIPHY)