Fans are excited to see Eddie Murphy and Arsenio Hall reunite in the anticipated Coming 2 America, the sequel to the beloved original film. That said, it won’t just feature returning stars, as there will be a few new additions in the mix, including Saturday Night Live alum and Supermarket Sweep’s delightful host Leslie Jones. Jones plays the role of Mary, the mother to a son named Lavelle that Prince Akeem never knew he had, and EW revealed the first look at Jones as Mary this morning, which you can see in the image below. Jones looks like she is having a ball in the role, and standing next to her and Lavelle (played by Jermaine Fowler) is Oha, a role reprised by Paul Bates.
“It was absolutely awesome to work on Coming 2 America,” Jones tells EW. “To be involved in such an important celebration of Black culture and Black excellence with one of the greatest ensemble casts of all-time was an honor. There are plenty of nods to the original, but there’s a huge emphasis on family and female empowerment in this film, which I love. And of course, it’s hilarious! It’s the comedy we need after a year like this, and I can’t wait for everyone to see it.”
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Mary also has an effect on Akeem and Lisa’s marriage according to director Craig Brewer, serving as a reminder to Lisa of what she used to love most about living in Queens, as she hasn’t been back since she moved to live with Akeem in Zamunda.
“It’s like if a member of the British royal family suddenly found out they had a child with somebody from America — but Leslie Jones is straight up Queens,” Brewer said with a laugh. “She suffers no fools and says what’s on her mind in a real colorful way, and yet she actually brings a lot of joy to the kingdom, especially to Lisa [Shari Headley], who is from Queens but hasn’t been back since she married Akeem. And so in a way Mary is a little bit of a breath of fresh air from home that reminds Lisa where she comes from.”
This is also a story about a son and father, and Mary only wants what’s best for Lavelle.
“Eddie always called the first movie a fairytale, and I know what he means by that,” shares Brewer. “It literally is the model of a fairytale of the prince dressing up in pauper’s clothes and going out to find his true love. But this is a situation where a kid who has never had a father and has been struggling in Queens suddenly finds out that he is the heir to the throne of a kingdom in Africa, and that he’s got immense wealth and soon going to have a whole family to be inserted into. As much as we can go, ‘Wow, that’s amazing,’ that’s also pretty daunting for [Lavelle]. He’s always dreamed about meeting a father that would come along and change his life, but now there’s a lot of expectations that are placed on him. To me, the special sauce of the movie is this blended family coming together. There’s conflict, there’s comedy, but they’re working towards a lot of love.”
Coming 2 America hits Amazon Prime Video on March 5th, 2021.
