Film

The ‘Coming 2 America’ Trailer Is Here And We’re Going Back To Zamunda, Baby

All hail, King Akeem!

by Merryana Salem  23 December 2020
coming-2-america-trailer

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It’s been over 3 decades since Eddie Murphy’s Prince Akeem royally graced our screens, and in 2021 he’s back as the newly crowned King Akeem in Coming 2 America‘s first teaser trailer.

In Coming 2 America, the long-awaited sequel to 1988’s Coming To America, we’ll follow King Akeem as he returns to New York City to reunite with his long-lost son (Jermaine Fowler), a Queens native whom the king must groom to be the next crown prince of Zamunda.

The trailer is but a tease, and tease it does; with Murphy’s classic fish out of water quips, the vibrant abundance of Zamunda’s royal life, and Murphy’s hilarious antics playing more than one character. It’s a perfect teaser that offers a tantalising glimpse at the shenanigans we’re in store for.

The official synopsis reads, “Set in the lush and royal country of Zamunda, newly-crowned King Akeem (Eddie Murphy) and his trusted confidante Semmi (Arsenio Hall) embark on an all-new hilarious adventure that has them traversing the globe from their great African nation to the borough of Queens, New York – where it all began.”

Don’t worry, the teaser is stacked with iconic favourites returning from the first film. From King Jaffe Joffer (James Earl Jones), Queen Lisa (Shari Headley), Cleo McDowell (John Amos), Maurice (Louie Anderson) and, of course, the motley barbershop crew.

But there are also some newcomers, played nonetheless by Black American TV, pop-culture and cinema royality. There’s Wesley Snipes (Blade), Leslie Jones (Ghostbusters, SNL), Kiki Layne (The Old Guard, If Beale Street Could Talk), and deadly dancer and songstress, Teyana Taylor.

Kenya Barris (Black-ish), and the original Coming to America screenwriters Barry W. Blaustein and David Sheffield teamed up to write the sequel’s script. It’s fair to say with all this Black excellence coming together to build on the legacy of such a beloved comedy, Coming 2 America is shaping up to be one of the most anticipated films of 2021.

While the film was originally slated for a cinema release, Coming 2 America will now be streaming on Amazon Prime from March 5th. I don’t know about you, but I know exactly where I’ll be on that day!

Merryana Salem is a proud Wonnarua and Lebanese–Australian critic, teacher, researcher and podcaster on most social media as @akajustmerry. If you want, check out her podcast, GayV Club where she gushes about LGBT rep in media with her best friend. Either way, she hopes you ate something nice today.