Eddie Murphy Is One Step Closer to Bringing ‘Coming To America 2’ To The Big Screen With Director Craig Brewer

Deadline is reporting that Eddie Murphy and Paramount Pictures have tapped Craig Brewer to direct the long-awaited sequel to his 1988 classic ‘Coming To America.’ Brewer, who directed 2005’s ‘Hustle and Flow’, and Murphy just wrapped Murphy’s next role as Blaxploitation Icon Rudy Ray Moore for Netflix and have turned their attention towards reprising his role as Prince Akeem.

The actor and director are said to be eager to work together again. ‘Coming to America 2’ is reportedly going to center around Prince Akeem’s search for his long lost son and unlikely heir to the throne of Zamunda. ‘Blackish’ creator, Kenya Barris, is reportedly rewriting the script by original ‘Coming to America’ writers, Barry Blaustein, and David Sheffield, and also acting as the executive producer.

“After many years of anticipation, I’m thrilled that ‘Coming to America 2’ is officially moving forward,” Murphy said in a statement. “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 back all these classic and beloved characters back to the big screen.”

Murphy intends to bring back the original cast which includes Arsenio Hall, Shari Headley, John Amos, and James Earl Jones.

There is no start date yet, but the hope is to start production sometime this year.