Coming 2 America, the long-awaited, highly-anticipated sequel to the 1998 film Coming to America will soon be available on Amazon Prime.
According to Variety, Paramount Pictures is in the process of completing a $125 million deal with Amazon Studios and is aiming for a release date of Dec. 18.
In the original film, Eddie Murphy’s character Prince Akeem travels to New York City to escape an arranged marriage and find a queen who will love him regardless of his title.
The sequel, which reportedly filmed some scenes at Rick Ross’ estate, will follow Akeem who is on his way to become the king of Zamunda. He discovers he has a long-lost son in Queens, New York and sets out to find him, so he could honor his father’s dying wish to groom him as the crown prince. Arsenio Hall, who appears in Coming to America, will reprise his role as Akeem’s buddy Semmi. Tracy Morgan, Ross and Wesley Snipes will also join Murphy in Coming 2 America.
Snipes, who will play Akeem’s villain General Izzi in the sequel, revealed he tried out for the role of Darryl Jenks in Coming to America, but didn’t make it.
“I auditioned for Coming to America, and I remember being so sad,” Snipes admitted during a Netflix roundtable. “I really wanted to be in the movie. I wanted to work with him (Eddie Murphy), and I was really contemplating what my purpose in life was after losing that to Eriq La Salle.”
“Our look was too close,” Murphy said of the decision to pass on Snipes, noting the New Jack City star looked “more African” than him.
“I didn’t know none of that man. That would’ve healed me,” Snipes responded. “I was in the bathroom, ‘Why am I even doing this, man? I’m not gonna quit! They not gonna break me down, man!’”