Coming 2 America

Movie Details:

Cast & Characters:

• Eddie Murphy as:
  • Prince / King Akeem Joffer, the king of Zamunda.
  • Randy Watson, the lead vocalist of the soul band Sexual Chocolate.
  • Mr. Clarence, the local barber.
  • Saul, the Jewish barbershop customer.
• Arsenio Hall as:
  • Semmi, Akeem’s best friend and aide.
  • Reverend Brown, a pastor of the church.
  • Morris, Mr. Clarence’s right-hand barber.
  • Baba, a witch doctor.
  • Extremely Ugly Girl, she appears through archival footage.
• Jermaine Fowler as Lavelle Junson-Joffer, Akeem’s long-lost and Mary’s son
• Nomzamo Mbatha as Mirembe, a royal groomer and Lavelle’s love interest
• Leslie Jones as Mary Junson, Lavelle’s mother and former prostitute
• Tracy Morgan as Kareem “Uncle Reem” Junson, Lavelle’s uncle and Mary’s brother. He is referred to in the film as “Uncle Reem”, and was Lavelle’s father figure growing up.
• Clint Smith as Sweets, the barber.
• KiKi Layne as Princess Meeka Joffer, Akeem’s and Lisa’s first daughter. She is ineligible to take over the throne of Zamunda since Zamundan law requires the nation’s ruler to be male, and Akeem is reluctant to break with centuries of tradition.
• Shari Headley as Queen Lisa Joffer, Akeem’s American-born wife with whom he fell in love in the first film.
• Wesley Snipes as General Izzi, Colonel Izzi’s son, Imani’s older brother, and leader of Nexdoria.
• Teyana Taylor as Bopoto Izzi, General Izzi’s daughter.
• James Earl Jones as King Jaffe Joffer, Akeem’s dying father and the King of Zamunda. This would be Jones’s final film role before his death in 2024
• Bella Murphy (Eddie Murphy’s real daughter) as Princess Omma Joffer, Akeem’s and Lisa’s second daughter.
• Akiley Love as Princess Tinashe Joffer, Akeem’s and Lisa’s third daughter.
• Paul Bates as Oha, a longtime royal servant.
• John Amos as Cleo McDowell, Akeem’s former employer and father-in-law and Lisa’s father.
• Louie Anderson as Maurice, a longtime McDowell’s employee, now the manager of the Zamunda McDowell’s restaurant. This would be Anderson’s final film role before his death in 2022
• Rotimi as Idi Izzi, General Izzi’s son and the Prince of Nexdoria.
• Vanessa Bell Calloway as Imani Izzi, General Izzi’s younger sister and Akeem’s former intended bride.
• Luenell as Livia, Lavelle’s aunt.
• Michael Blackson and Rick Ross as Nexdorian Lieutenant and Commander.
• Garcelle Beauvais as Grace, a royal rose bearer.
• Trevor Noah as Totatsi Bibinyana, a news anchor for ZNN (short for Zamunda News Network).
• Colin Jost as Calvin Duke, the grandson of Randolph Duke and great-nephew of Mortimer Duke from the 1983 film Trading Places who now runs his grandfather and great-uncle’s rebuilt business of Duke & Duke Commodity Brokers

Storyline:

Three long, prosperous decades after Prince Akeem and Lisa McDowell’s opulent wedding in Coming to America (1988), King Jaffe Joffer and Semmi, sensing that trouble is brewing in the African kingdom of Zamunda, drop a bombshell. As a result, with three lovely daughters and no sons, Prince Akeem’s back is against the wall as General Izzi, the megalomaniac despot of the neighboring country of Nexdoria, dreams of seizing power through a political marriage of convenience. Now, newly-crowned King Akeem and his trusted confidante Semmi must return to where it all began, the bustling borough of Queens, New York, to retrieve Lavelle, the illegitimate son unsuspecting Akeem never knew existed. Can the prince of Zamunda restore peace and stability in less than a week?

About Movie:

Coming 2 America is a 2021 American romantic comedy and the sequel to the 1988 classic Coming to America. Directed by Craig Brewer, with a screenplay by Barry W. Blaustein, David Sheffield, and Kenya Barris.

The film features an ensemble cast including Eddie Murphy, Arsenio Hall, Jermaine Fowler, Leslie Jones, Tracy Morgan, KiKi Layne, Shari Headley, Teyana Taylor, Wesley Snipes, and James Earl Jones. Notably, it marked the final film appearances of both Jones and Louie Anderson before their respective deaths in 2024 and 2022.

Announced in January 2017, production officially moved forward in 2019 with Murphy reprising his role and Brewer directing, following their collaboration on Dolemite Is My Name.

Filming began in Atlanta, Georgia, on August 17, 2019, with Rick Ross’s mansion serving as one of the filming locations. Production wrapped on November 9, 2019, though James Earl Jones, due to his age, filmed his scenes separately from Murphy.

Originally intended for theatrical release by Paramount Pictures, the film’s distribution rights were sold to Amazon Studios for $125 million due to the COVID-19 pandemic. It was released digitally on Amazon Prime Video on March 5, 2021, after a limited theatrical release to qualify for Oscar consideration. Despite receiving mixed reviews, Coming 2 America was nominated for Best Makeup and Hairstyling at the 94th Academy Awards.

Amazon reported that the film had the best opening weekend for a streaming film since March 2020. Nielsen later confirmed Coming 2 America amassed 1.4 billion viewing minutes during its first week, becoming the first Prime Original to top Nielsen’s streaming charts.