NEW YORK 鈥� When Eddie Murphy made the original 鈥淐oming to America,鈥� he was, almost indisputably, the funniest man in America.
Murphy was at the very height of his fame, coming off 鈥淏everly Hills Cop II鈥� and the stand-up special 鈥淩aw.鈥� They were heady times. Arsenio Hall, Murphy鈥檚 longtime friend and co-star in 鈥淐oming to America,鈥� remembers them sneaking out during the shoot to a Hollywood nightclub while still dressed as Prince Akeem and his loyal aide Semmi. 鈥淲e were insane,鈥� says Hall.
The 鈥�80s, Murphy says, are 鈥渁ll a blur.鈥�
鈥淚 was so young, all this stuff was happening. You take everything for granted when you鈥檙e young, how successful I was,鈥� Murphy says, speaking by Zoom with a shelf of award statuettes behind him. 鈥淣ow I take nothing for granted and appreciate everything.鈥�
Thirty-three years after 鈥淐oming to America,鈥� Murphy and Hall have returned to Zamunda. The sequel, originally planned to hit
It鈥檚 an unlikely coda to a blockbuster comedy, one that belongs so completely to the late 鈥�80s that even the sequel tries to keep some of that era鈥檚 spirit. (A few notable R&B and hip-hop groups make cameos.) 鈥淐oming 2 America,鈥� directed by Craig Brewer, reverses the fish-out-water plot to bring Queens to Zamunda after Akeem learns he fathered a son (Jermaine Fowler) on his first visit to New York.
Some elements have been updated. There鈥檚 a plot of female empowerment; KiKi Layne plays Akeem鈥檚 daughter. At the barbershop, where Murphy and Hall also reprise their characters, the conversation bounces from Teslas to transgender people.
鈥淲e had a draft where they had on MAGA hats and they were Republicans,鈥� says Murphy. 鈥淚t was funny but it was like, eh, let鈥檚 not even go there.鈥�
Instead, Murphy and his collaborators 鈥� including writers Barry W. Blaustein, David Sheffield and Kenya Barris 鈥� felt the core appeal of 鈥淐oming to America鈥� lies in its fairy tale premise.
鈥淭his is the only movie I鈥檝e ever done that had a cult following,鈥� says Murphy. 鈥淲e had totally forgot about 鈥楥oming to America.鈥� Then this movie took on this life in the culture. It became like a cult movie. Lines from the movie became catchphrases. People do the mic drop now. The very first mic drop is Randy Watson from 鈥楥oming to America.鈥欌��
鈥淐oming to America鈥� has indeed played a unique role in culture since 1988. Real-life McDowell鈥檚 fast-food restaurants 鈥� the McDonald鈥檚 knockoff from the movie 鈥� have briefly popped up in Los Angeles and Chicago. Beyonc茅 and Jay-Z once dressed up as characters from the film for Halloween.
But the John Landis-directed movie was also a massive success on release. It was the second-highest grossing film domestically in 1988 with $128.2 million in tickets sold 鈥� nearly double what 鈥淒ie Hard鈥� made that year. Globally, it grossed $288.8 million, or more than $630 million adjusted for inflation.
To Murphy, that鈥檚 the movie鈥檚 legacy.
鈥溾�楥oming to America鈥� is the first movie in the history of the movies that had an all-Black cast that
鈥淚t鈥檚 not about being Black. It鈥檚 about love and family and tradition and doing the right thing,鈥� Murphy adds. 鈥淚f 鈥楤lack Panther鈥� was about the hood, people wouldn鈥檛 have seen 鈥楤lack Panther鈥� all around the world.鈥�
The connections between 鈥淐oming to America鈥� and 鈥淏lack Panther鈥� 鈥� both rare depictions of Black royalty and a mythic Africa 鈥� are many. Before making 鈥淏lack Panther,鈥� Murphy has said Ryan Coogler approached him about a 鈥淐oming to America鈥� sequel. During production on 鈥淏lack Panther,鈥� Lupita Nyong鈥檕 (once not a fan of 鈥淐oming to America鈥� for its cliched depiction of Africans) and other cast members threw a 鈥淐oming to America鈥� birthday party. Ruth E. Carter designed the costumes of both 鈥淏lack Panther鈥� and 鈥淐oming 2 America.鈥� Both were shot in Atlanta.
鈥淚鈥檝e had people say, 鈥楴ow Zamunda isn鈥檛 a real place, right?鈥欌�� says Brewer. 鈥淎nd I say, 鈥楴o, it鈥檚 definitely a real place. I believe it鈥檚 just northeast of Wakanda.鈥欌��
The shoot took place on the Tyler Perry Studio sound stages, with Rick Ross鈥� nearby mansion serving as the Zamunda palace. The movie reunites most of the original cast 鈥� including James Earl Jones, John Amos and Shari Headley 鈥� and brings in many others, too, including Wesley Snipes, Leslie Jones and Tracy Morgan.
Some things have changed with time. This 鈥淐oming to America鈥� is rated PG-13. Murphy was just 27 when he made 鈥淐oming to America.鈥� Now, he has 10 children and a grandchild. His daughter, Bella, has a small role in the film.
鈥淗e joked about it on 鈥楽aturday Night Live,鈥� about him versus Cosby and who鈥檚 America鈥檚
A long-awaited return to performing in 2020 had been Murphy's intention before the pandemic hit. Those plans haven鈥檛 been
鈥淚 was all ready to go,鈥� Murphy says, grinning, 鈥渁nd then I had to go sit back on the couch.鈥�
Jake Coyle, The Associated Press
