Perhaps movie theaters in the Kingdom of Zamunda are open, but here in the States things are looking bleak. The lack of cinematic release options is the main reason why Eddie Murphy‘s new film Coming 2 America is emigrating from Paramount Pictures to Amazon Studios.
The sequel to 1988’s Coming to America was originally slated to drop on August 7th, 2020, before going on standby until Christmas. Then the coronavirus happened, and blockbusters such as James Bond’s No Time to Die and Dune were pushed back to 2021. But Crown Prince Akeem Joffer won’t have to wait that long; as Variety reports, Amazon ponied up $125 million for the streaming rights. Now, Coming 2 America is expected to premiere on December 18th.
Some details are still being finalized. Previously-negotiated deals with corporate sponsors need smoothing out, including tie-ins with Crown Royal (get it? Crown? Royal?) and McDonald’s (a curious choice, since they’re direct competitors to the fast-food joint run by Joffer’s father-in-law Cleo McDowell). Also, as a producer Murphy himself could scuttle the arrangement, though none of these obstacles are expected to be insurmountable.
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Coming 2 America is directed by Craig Brewer (Hustle & Flow). In addition to Murphy, it stars Arsenio Hall and Wesley Snipes. It will be Murphy’s first film role since 2019’s Dolemite Is My Name, although he hasn’t been out of the spotlight; in December, he made his glorious return to SNL, which earned the comedy icon his first-ever Emmy award.
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