It turns out the character Darryl Jenks from the 1988 film “Coming to America” won’t be in the follow-up, which means we’ll probably never know how he’s handling the Soul Glow empire these days.
Eriq La Salle spoke with a group of journalists on Oct. 7 at the annual press day for the NBC show “Chicago P.D.,” where the 57-year-old said he had too much on his plate to join the “Coming to America” sequel, titled “Coming 2 America.”
La Salle is currently the executive producer for “Chicago P.D.,” and he occasionally directs the show as well. He also sat in the director’s chair for series like “Law & Order SVU,” and “Ringer.” And he even wrote his own novel in 2012 called “Laws of Depravity.”
But the Hartford, Connecticut, native is probably best known for playing the role of Dr. Peter Benton in the hospital drama “ER,” which went off the air in 2009.
“No,” was the answer La Salle gave when asked if he’d be in the “Coming to America” sequel. “Straight to the point,” he added. “I knew where you were going with it. I’m a little busy right now with this show.”
In January Eddie Murphy, who starred in the original “Coming to America” film, gave word that a sequel was on its way.
Then more confirmation came in April when costume designer Ruth E. Carter shared a photo with Murphy and wrote “GOOD MORNING MY NEIGHBORS! It’s official! Preliminary fitting for Coming to America 2 with Prince Akeem, Semmi.”
Since then, a bunch of people from the original cast have signed on for the sequel, including Arsenio Hall, Shari Headley, James Earl Jones, John Amos and Paul Bates.
There will be new characters introduced as well, since people like Wesley Snipes, Rick Ross and Leslie Jones have joined the cast.
