Paramount Pictures has announced an August 7, 2020 release date for their untitled sequel to the 1988 Eddie Murphy comedy “Coming to America.”
The studio has reportedly hired the director of “Hustle & Flow”, Craig Brewer, to direct the project with Eddie Murphy expected to return as the star of the show.
It is important to keep in mind, “Coming to America 2” has been in development for several years with director Jonathan Levine previously attached to direct the production.
Filming for the upcoming “Coming to America” sequel was set to film in California after the California Film Commission awarded Paramount a $13 million tax credit last April. However, Variety reports, they needed to start production within 180 days. Clearly, that did not happen.
Kenya Barris has been attached to rewrite a script by the original “Coming to America” writers Barry Blaustein and David Sheffield. Murphy is producing the project alongside Kevin Misher. Kenya Barris is also executive producing the upcoming sequel.
The first “Coming to America” movie was directed by John Landis with Murphy playing a charming prince who travels to New York City to escape an arranged marriage. The movie was a major hit and made nearly $300 million at the worldwide box office.
Recently, Craig Brewer worked with Eddie Murphy on the new Netflix movie “Dolemite Is My Name”.
“Coming 2 America” Casting Information
Leah Daniels Butler is the casting director behind Eddie Murphy’s “Coming 2 America” feature film. Leah is known for her work on popular shows such as “Empire”, and critically acclaimed movies including Lee Daniels’ “The Butler” and “Precious”.
Leah is the recipient of the Hamilton Award for Outstanding Casting for her work on “The Butler,” she also earned the Casting Society of America’s “Outstanding Achievement in Casting for a Television Drama” award for her work on “Empire.”
In a recent interview with Authority Magazine, Butler says she started working as a casting director by working with Jaki Brown and Kim Hardin, who were two of the top black casting directors in Hollywood, which gave her an opportunity to shine in Hollywood. After casting for 25 years, she has countless stories. One interesting thing was seeing “Empire” actor Bryshere Gray. She explains, “he was such a raw talent and he got the job over much more experienced actors. But now I can’t imagine anyone else playing his role.”
Leah argues diversity should be reflected not only on the screen also behind the camera. “The executives making the decisions need to be diverse and they will hire more diverse. Our society IS the audience, they decide what will be a hit and what won’t. We don’t realize our power and our voices. If we collectively as a group say we want to see more diversity, then Hollywood has no choice to but to fall in line, and to some degree, it is happening.”
How to audition for a speaking role
For a movie, this big, casting directors are contacting talent through talent agencies. If you are interested in a speaking role in the upcoming feature film, contact your talent agent for an audition. If you do not have an agent, check out our guide to landing an acting agent here.
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