Long-awaited ‘Coming to America’ sequel reportedly headed to Amazon for December release
The long awaited “Coming to America” sequel may be coming to a streaming platform near you.
Paramount Pictures is reportedly selling “Coming 2 America” — the follow-up to Eddie Murphy’s 1988 smash — to Amazon Studios for a whopping $125 million.
According to Variety, if the deal goes through, the movie will bypass theaters and instead launch on Amazon Prime on Dec. 18.
The sale of this project follows other notable films sold by legendary Hollywood studio to streaming platforms, including Aaron Sorkin’s “Trial of the Chicago 7” and the action comedy “Lovebirds,” both of which went to Netflix.
Paramount also recently sold the Michael B. Jordan film, “Without Remorse,” to Amazon.
“Coming 2 America” brings back original cast members Eddie Murphy, Arsenio Hall, James Earl Jones, Vanessa Bell Calloway, Garcelle Beauvais, Shari Headley and Paul Bates to reprise their roles.
The beloved 1988 film starred Murphy as Akeem Joffer, the crown prince of the fictional African nation of Zamunda. In an effort to find a wife his family didn’t choose for him, Akeem, along with his trusted assistant Semmi, played by Hall, decides to travel to Queens, N.Y., to find his future queen. The John Landis-helmed movie grossed $288 million.
Jermaine Fowler, KiKi Lane, Rick Ross, Leslie Jones, Wesley Snipes and Tracy Morgan were reportedly set to join the sequel, directed by Craig Brewer, who wrote and directed 2005′s “Hustle & Flow,”
The plot reportedly finds Akeem learning about a long-lost son and must return to America to meet the “unlikely heir to the throne of Zamunda.”[More Snyde] Billy Porter to join Ryan Seacrest, Lucy Hale in Times Square for ABC’s New Year’s Eve countdown »
“Coming 2 America” was due to be released theatrically in December but in light of ongoing movie theater closures and countless blockbusters changing release dates amid the COVID-19 crisis streaming is the way to go.
Amazon recently picked up Regina King’s directorial debut “One Night in Miami” with plans to launch later this year.
Source: https://www.nydailynews.com/