After over 30 years since the original film debuted, a sequel to Eddie Murphy’s Coming to America is on its way via Amazon Studios. On December 22, the streaming service shared the first official trailer for the film and it’s absolutely hilarious.
Featuring snippets of the cast from the first movie: Shari Headley returns as Lisa, Arsenio Hall is Semmi, James Earl Jones resumes his role as Jaffe Joffer—there’s even a flash of Garcelle Beauvais resuming her role throwing rose petals before the Prince enters. Longtime fans will see some new faces: Teyana Taylor, Wesley Snipes and Jermaine Fowler are just a few of the folks who, based on the trailer, ensuring that Coming 2 America will be a treat.
Though they don’t appear in the clip John Amos and Vanessa Bell Calloway will also come back as their iconic characters.
Additionally, Eddie Murphy and Arsenio Hall will be paying homage to the unforgettable barbershop scene from Coming to America.
“I have no doubt that this will become a film that people will love,” Headley said exclusively to ESSENCE. “I will venture to say they’ll love it more than the first…I think I’m as excited as the audience will be because this is just nonstop entertainment.”
In the 1988 original, Prince Akeem (Murphy) is bored with his life as an African royal and dissatisfied at the idea of an arranged marriage. Akeem tells his father, the King of Zamunda (Jones), that he is going to America in search of a new adventure and most importantly, a bride. Hilarity ensues as he and his aide (Hall) engage in hijinks and Akeem ultimately finds love.
For the second film, we find Akeem as the new king but he’s in a dilemma—his father is dying and is urging him to return to America to connect with his long lost son. So, Akeem and Semmi head to America once again in search of his sole heir.
Coming 2 America is set to be released via Amazon Prime in March 2021. Watch the trailer below.