Eddie Murphy’s ‘Coming to America 2’ Lands a Director

Eddie Murphy is returning to the big screen with the long-awaited sequel to Coming to America, and the film has finally found its director.

According to a new report from Deadline, Paramount has hired filmmaker Craig Brewer to direct the Coming to America sequel. Murphy is already attached to the new project, reprising his role as African prince Akeem. Brewer is best known for directing Hustle & Flow, Black Snake Moan, and the Footloose remake, though he’s also helmed episodes of Empire and The Shield.

Part of the reason that Brewer landed the gig was his recent involvement with Eddie Murphy, having just directed the actor in the upcoming Netflix film, Dolemite Is My Name. Murphy was apparently eager to work with Brewer again and Coming to America 2 provided that opportunity.

The screenplay for Coming to America 2 is being rewritten by black-ish creator and Girls Trip writer Kenya Barris. The initial draft of the script came from original Coming to America writers Barry Blaustein and David Sheffield. Murphy is producing the film alongside Kevin Misher while Barris will serve as executive producer.

“After many years of anticipation, I’m thrilled that Coming to America 2 is officially moving forward,” Murphy said in a statement. “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.”

At this time, there is no official production start scheduled for Coming to America 2, but the hope is that it will begin shooting sometime this year.

Are you looking forward to the Coming to America sequel? Let us know in the comments!