Eddie Murphy's 'Coming 2 America' hitting Amazon in March

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Eddie Murphy’s highly-anticipated Coming to America sequel will premiere on Amazon Prime Video on March 5, 2021. Coming 2 America, which was originally slated to hit theatres next month, was sold by Paramount to Amazon for $125 million earlier this fall.

The followup picks up the story of crown prince Akeem Joffer (Murphy) (who in the original 1988 film swapped life as a pampered African royal to search for a bride in the U.S.), as he and his trusted confidante Semmi (Arsenio Hall) embark on a hilarious adventure that has them back in New York in search of his long-lost son.

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“What could be better than a return to Zamunda?” producer Kevin Misher says in a statement. “We are so excited for Amazon Studios to bring Eddie Murphy and Coming 2 America to a worldwide audience where they can laugh again with characters they have loved for 30 years, and meet new ones that they will love for years to come.”

Alongside new characters played by Wesley Snipes, Leslie Jones and Tracy Morgan, original cast favourites from Coming to America are set to return, including King Jaffe Joffer (James Earl Jones), Queen Lisa (Shari Headley), Cleo McDowell (John Amos), Maurice (Louie Anderson) and the motley barbershop crew.

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“Coming to America was a cultural phenomenon that is one of the most loved and celebrated comedies of all time,” says Jennifer Salke, Head of Amazon Studios. “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 favourite.”

“I don’t want to sound too outrageous, but I think America needs Akeem and Semmi right now,” director Craig Brewer (Dolemite Is My Name) said in an interview with Entertainment Weekly. “I hope you know that’s sincere from me, that’s how I feel. We need them.”

In an interview with Ellen DeGeneres last year, Murphy said he was “really happy” with the sequel.

“I couldn’t be happier with how it turned out,” he told DeGeneres. “A lot of people have this expectation, like people would say to me when they found out I was doing it, ‘Don’t f— that movie up.’ So we’ve gone above and beyond what anybody would think.”

mdaniell@postmedia.com