‘Coming 2 America’ Now Coming 2 Amazon Prime Instead of Theaters
Coming 2 America is not coming 2 theaters.
Instead, the film is reportedly making the jump to streaming, in a blockbuster deal that is said to be in nine-figure range. According to Variety, Paramount Pictures is “in the process” of selling Coming 2 America, the long-awaited sequel to Eddie Murphy’s popular 1988 comedy, to Amazon Studios, “ in a deal worth roughly $125 million.”
Coming 2 America was directed by Craig Brewer, who also directed Murphy in last year’s critically acclaimed Dolemite Is My Name. This sequel, written by original Coming to America screenwriters David Sheffield and Barry Blaustein along with Kenya Barris, will bring back both Eddie Murphy’s Prince Akeem and Arsenio Hall’s Semmi. The story supposedly involves Prince Akeem’s discovery of a son he never met back in America (played by Jermaine Fowler), and his return to the country to meet his child and prepare him for a life as Zamundan royalty.
As a movie tie-in aficionado, I must tell you that supposedly the film will arrive with “complex consumer marketing tie-ins with McDonalds and whiskey brand Crown Royal.” I am going to start fasting right now in preparation for a large and intense McDowell’s meal.
According to Variety’s sources, Coming 2 America is expected to premiere on Amazon Prime December 18. That would give Prime two huge comedies this fall, following their release of Borat Subsequent Moviefilm on October 23. After a long time in the shadow of its competitors, it looks like Amazon wants to carve out a niche as a home of big streaming comedies.
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