Ryan Googler, the director of the new “Coming to America” sequel wanted to hire Michael B. Jordan for a starring role, but Eddie Murphy did not like the idea.
Ryan Coogler — who has directed Jordan in “Fruitvale Station,” “Creed” and “Black Panther” — made a case for the role to Eddie Murphy, that Jordan should play his son in the upcoming “Coming 2 America.”
“Coming 2 America” will debut on Amazon Prime Video on March 5.
Eddie Murphy didn’t like Ryan Coogler’s idea as he put in a New York Times interview.
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“I was like, then the movie would be about the son…not our characters,” Eddie Murphy recalled.
Murphy said that he and the film’s producers “never thought about doing a sequel” to the film that follows Murphy’s Prince Akeem as he treks to America — Queens, New York specifically — to find his bride.
“The way the story ended was kind of like, ‘And they lived happily ever after.’ Then all this time passed and the movie became this cult thing,” Murphy said. “Catchphrases from the movie start working their way into the culture. Stores turning themselves into McDowell’s [where Prince Akeem worked.] I see Beyoncé and Jay-Z dressed up like the Zamunda characters for Halloween,” Murphy said, referencing the fictional African country where Prince Akeem hailed from.
Arsenio Hall and Eddie Murphy had made a pact some 30 years ago to never make a ‘Coming to America‘ sequel, but the film’s growing fandom changed their mindsmichael b jordan edit
Plus constant sequel pitches from producers like Coogler, also impacted their decision.
“But all that made me start thinking, maybe we should do a sequel,” Murphy continued.
