Paramount To Sell Eddie Murphy’s Coming 2 America To Amazon Studios

Variety is reporting that Paramount Pictures is in the process of selling “Coming 2 America,” the long-anticipated sequel to the Eddie Murphy classic, Amazon Studios. In deal worth roughly $125 million, insiders say, the expected streaming premiere date is December 18.

The project is one of several that Paramount has sold this year to streamers, including Aaron Sorkin’s “Trial of the Chicago 7” and the action comedy “Lovebirds,” both of which went to Netflix. The studio sold “Without Remorse” to Amazon.

The first “Coming to America” was directed by John Landis in 1988, and saw Murphy as the charming African prince Akeem, who traveled to New York City to escape an arranged marriage. Arsenio Hall, James Earl Jones, Shari Headley and  John Amos co-starred. The film grossed nearly $300 million at the worldwide box office.

In the sequel, Prince Akeem is set to become king of the fictional country of Zamunda when he discovers he has a son he never knew about in America — a street-savvy Queens native named Lavelle. To honor the former king’s dying wish to groom his grandson as the crown prince, Akeem and Semmi set off to America. Murphy, Hall and Jones are reprising their roles. Additional cast includes Tracy Morgan and Jay Pharaoh.