The film’s official synopsis reads: “Set in the lush and royal country of Zamunda, newly-crowned King Akeem (Murphy) and his trusted confidante Semmi (Arsenio Hall) embark on an all-new hilarious adventure that has them traversing the globe from their great African nation to the borough of Queens, New York — where it all began.” The sequel, directed by Craig Brewer and co-written by Kenya Barris, will find the prince grappling with a previous relationship with Mary Junson (former “Saturday Night Live” star Leslie Jones), which led to the birth of a son, Lavelle Junson, played by actor/comedian Jermaine Fowler. Naturally, hijinks and hilarity ensue, as the film’s latest trailer indicates.
The original film’s memorable characters and relatable story of a fish-out-of-water connected with audiences around the world, helping the film reach iconic status. But as American audiences have now been exposed to more complete and authentic accounts of African life — in part due to the global impact of the internet, as well as an increase in Africans becoming even more active in reclaiming their narratives — the question remains, will the sequel be updated to reflect this reality? Much of the original cast favorites from “Coming to America” return for the sequel, including King Jaffe Joffer (James Earl Jones), Queen Lisa (Shari Headley), Cleo McDowell (John Amos), Maurice (Louie Anderson), and the motley barbershop crew. Newcomers to the ensemble are Wesley Snipes, Leslie Jones, Tracy Morgan, Jermaine Fowler, Bella Murphy, Rotimi, KiKi Layne, Nomzamo Mbatha, and Teyana Taylor. This long-awaited sequel will launch worldwide in over 240 countries and territories on Prime Video on March 5, 2021. Check out the newest trailer for “Coming 2 America” below. Sign Up: Stay on top of the latest breaking film and TV news! Sign up for our Email Newsletters here.
