TM & COPYRIGHT © 1988 BY PARAMOUNT PICTURES. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.(NEW YORK) — Wesley Snipes and Leslie Jones are officially headed to Zamunda.
The Hollywood Reporter has learned that Snipes and the SNL star have been added to the cast of Coming 2 America, the sequel to the classic 1988 comedy. They join original stars Eddie Murphy and Arsenio Hall, who have already been confirmed for the sequel.
The original 1988 film Coming to America starred Murphy as Akeem Joffer, crown prince of the fictional African nation of Zamunda. In an effort to find a wife, Akeem, along with his trusty assistant Semmi, played by Hall, decide to travel to Queens, NY.
In the sequel, Akeem learns about a long-lost son and must return to America to meet the “unlikely heir to the throne of Zamunda.”
Snipes will play a new character, General Izzi, a man who rules a neighboring nation. Jones’ role is being kept secret. The Hollywood Reporter says If Beale Street Could Talk star Kiki Layne has also joined the cast, as Akeem’s daughter.
In addition to Murphy and Hall, most of the original film’s cast, including Shari Headley and James Earl Jones, is expected to return. However, as of now, only Murphy, Hall, Snipes and Jermaine Fowler have officially signed on.
As previously noted, black-ish creator Kenya Barris is rewriting a script from original Coming to America writers Barry Blaustein and David Sheffield.
Hustle & Flow director Craig Brewer has signed on to direct the project, which Murphy’s also producing. The two recently worked together on the Netflix comedy Dolemite Is My Name, which follows the story of real-life comedian Rudy Ray Moore.
Coming 2 America is set to hit theaters August 7, 2020.
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