It was official back in January when Eddie Murphy confirmed it, but now the arrival of “Coming To America 2” has received even more confirmation.
Ruth E. Carter, the famed costume designer who recently won an Oscar for “Black Panther,” posted a photo of herself with Murphy and Arsenio Hall on Monday. She also revealed that production on the film is underway, as both actors were recently fitted for their costumes.
“GOOD MORNING MY NEIGHBORS! It’s official! Preliminary fitting for Coming to America 2 with Prince Akeem, Semmi and Oscar,” she captioned the photo.
The original “Coming To America” hit theaters in the summer of 1988, and it told the story of Murphy’s character Prince Akeem trying to find love in the United States after backing out of an arranged marriage.
Akeem is son to King Jaffe Joffer, played by James Earl Jones, ruler of the fictional African country Zamunda. Hall plays the role of Semmi, Akeem’s assistant and friend, who accompanies him to Queens, New York, to find his bride.
The prince eventually meets a woman named Lisa McDowell, played by Shari Headley, who he pursues but without telling her he’s really a prince.
It’s not clear if Headley, will reprise her role since she’s not listed on the sequel’s IMDb page. But Jones has reportedly signed on, and the film has an August 2020 release date.
Kenya Barris the creator of “Black-ish,” is listed as one of the screenwriters on the movie, as is Murphy, and people are expressing how excited they are about its pending arrival.
“Wow we have been waiting for this,” someone wrote under Carter’s post.
“Yesss. This is going to be fire,” another person commented.
“This is actually my favorite movie,” a third person wrote. “I have it on repeat. I am excited.”
Murphy’s confirmation of the sequel came in January.
“After many years of anticipation, I’m thrilled that ‘Coming to America 2’ is officially moving forward,” he 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 all these classic and beloved characters back to the big screen.”
