Eddie Murphy revealed in an interview with The New York Times that he rejected director Ryan Coogler’s pitch for a Coming to America sequel.
In the interview, Murphy sat alongside his Coming to America costar and fellow comedy icon, Arsenio Hall. Murphy explained that when Coogler pitched the sequel to him, he didn’t like the idea. But it did get him thinking about the possibility of a sequel to the hilarious cult classic film.
“[Coogler] had an idea for Michael B. Jordan to play my son and he would be looking for a wife. I was like, then the movie would be about the son, it’s not our characters, we already did that. It didn’t come together. But all that made me start thinking, maybe we should do a sequel,” Murphy said.
One Door Shuts, Another Opens…
Everything seems to have worked out just fine for Coogler. Shortly after being turned down by Murphy, he famously directed the blockbuster hit, Black Panther, and worked as a producer for the more recent Judas and the Black Messiah.
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Hall described what it was like when Murphy first texted him about the possible sequel.
“I never thought about it because we had always said we’re going to leave ‘Coming to America’ where it is. But I text him sometimes when I do my coffee run in the morning, and he says, what are you doing? I think you should read this script now. And I read half of it sitting in his yard. It was so exciting and so good.”
What Can Fans Look Forward To?
The highly anticipated sequel will follow Murphy’s Prince Akeem and Hall’s Semmi as they search for Akeem’s long-lost son in Queens, New York. Titled Coming 2 America, the film will be directed by Craig Brewer, who also directed “Dolemite Is My Name” which starred Murphy. The cast is riddled with stars and comedians including Leslie Jones, Tracy Morgan, Kiki Layne, Wesley Snipes, Teyana Taylor, James Earl Jones, and more.
Coming 2 America will be available for streaming on Amazon Prime Video on March 5. Watch the trailer now.
