Eddie Murphy's Coming to America Sequel Moving to Amazon

Amazon Prime is doubling-down on its feature film output. Days after it picked up the sequel to Sacha Baron Cohen's Borat, the streamer has also purchased Coming 2 America, the highly anticipated Eddie Murphy follow-up. First reported by Variety, it's said the streamer spent upwards of $125 million to lure the feature away from Paramount.

It should be noted the trade says the deal isn't completely finalized yet as Amazon and Paramount continue working out a few final details, including marketing efforts with McDonald's and Crown Royal that will also carry over between studios. Murphy also has to get his final blessing to the deal, though that shouldn't be a problem as the comedian has slowly ventured into the world of streaming with Dolemite Is My Name and a host of Netflix standup specials.

This marks the fourth feature Paramount has pawned off over the course of the year due to the ongoing pandemic. Earlier this year, the studio sold Trial of the Chicago 7 and Lovebirds to Netflix. The Michael B. Jordan-starring Without Remorse and now Coming 2 America have since been sold to Amazon Prime.

Murphy is producing the sequel with Kenya Barris. Barris wrote the script with David Sheffield and Barry W. Blaustein.

"After many years of anticipation, I'm thrilled that Coming to America 2 is officially moving forward," Murphy said in a statement last year. "We've assembled a great team that will be led by Craig Brewer, who just did an amazing job on Dolemite, and I'm looking forward to bringing all these classic and beloved characters back to the big screen."

"Craig's ability to create a distinct cinematic world with each of his films is not only impressive but also what made him exactly the voice and vision we needed to bring this story to life," added Barris. "From Hustle and Flow to his work with Eddie on Dolemite Is My Name, he never fails to blow me away. He is a true auteur and we couldn't be more thrilled to have him on board."

The synopsis for the series can be found below.

"Set after the events of the first film, former Prince Akeem Joffer is set to become King of Zamunda when he discovers he has a son he never knew about in America – a street-savvy Queens native named Lavelle. Honoring his royal father's dying wish to groom this son as the crown prince, Akeem and Semmi set off to America once again."

It's expected Coming 2 America will still be released this year, with one date floated around being December 18th.