Jermaine Fowler Made His Childhood Dreams Come True With 'Coming 2 America' (Exclusive)

Moky Makura Guest ColumnistNothing new to see here, move along.Like the stereotypical narratives we have come to expect from Hollywood about Africa, “Coming 2 America” offers nothing new to audiences despite the 33 years that separate the original from the sequel.The fictional country of Zamunda is a mixed bag of persistent stereotypes about African poverty, disease, conflict, poor leadership and hypersexual women who lack agency, all coated in Eddie Murphy’s brand of slapstick comedy that uses

Eddie Murphy has been perfectly comfortable sitting under mountains of prosthetics and makeup to make himself transform into the various characters seen throughout his films for decades. Perhaps that trick has been used best in his two “Coming to America” films.

Over the weekend, Amazon Prime Video released “Coming 2 America,” the much-anticipated sequel to the classic Eddie Murphy comedy, “Coming to America.” While the sequel has a ton of callbacks and cameos from the first film, there is one pretty big difference (other than the age of the characters) between the films—the rating. The sequel sports a PG-13 rating, while the original sits comfortably in the R-rated realm.

Jazz Tangcay Artisans EditorLike the 1988 comedy, “Coming to America,” its sequel 33 years later also features its share of memorable musical moments.Director Craig Brewer, who worked with Eddie Murphy on “Dolemite Is My Name,” knew how passionate people were about the original and “didn’t want to mess anything up,” he tells Variety.

The highly anticipated movie Coming 2 America is now available to watch from the comfort of your own home and the film features so many great new cast members.

Wakanda, there was Zamunda.

Jenelle Riley Deputy Awards, Features EditorJermaine Fowler was named one of Variety’s 10 Comics to Watch in 2016, and he jokes he wasn’t a fan of lists until then. Since that time, Fowler has made a name for himself as the star and producer of the series “Superior Donuts,” and now he takes on his biggest role yet — in “Coming 2 America,” the long-awaited sequel to the 1988 Eddie Murphy hit.

Eddie Murphy’s comeback is not stopping anytime soon. The "Coming 2 America" actor, 59, appeared alongside Arsenio Hall on an upcoming episode of Kevin Hart’s SiriusXM radio show, "Comedy Gold Minds," and confirmed that he plans to return to stand-up comedy once the coronavirus pandemic is over.

Eddie Murphy and Arsenio Hall's latest Zamunda-to-New York City adventure with Coming 2 America has dropped one day early on Amazon Prime in the U.S. The sequel to the 1988 comedy Coming to America was to have dropped on March 5, but showed up Thursday on the streaming platform.

Natalie Oganesyan editor“Coming 2 America,” the long-awaited sequel to Eddie Murphy’s 1988 “Coming to America,” has released early on Amazon Prime. Originally, the pic was set to drop on the streaming service on Friday.The sequel to John Landis’ hit comedy follows Prince Akeem (Murphy), who is set to become the king of the fictional country of Zamunda, an African kingdom untouched by colonialism, and finds out he has a son he never knew about — a street-savvy Queens native, Lavelle.

Like a blind date who starts off the evening by making a self-deprecating joke, the sequel to Eddie Murphy's smash hit 1988 comedy Coming to America takes pains to deflect the most obvious criticism that might come its way. "American cinema is the best," a character declares at one point in the unimaginatively titled Coming 2 America.

The “Coming 2 America” cast didn’t let the pandemic stop them from celebrating the film’s premiere in style, from their homes.

Eddie Murphy’s comeback is not stopping anytime soon. The "Coming 2 America" actor, 59, appeared alongside Arsenio Hall on an upcoming episode of Kevin Hart’s SiriusXM radio show, "Comedy Gold Minds," and confirmed that he plans to return to stand-up comedy once the coronavirus pandemic is over.

Once upon a time, dear children, before you were born, they made a fairytale movie about a kingdom called Zamunda. “Coming to America,” starring Eddie Murphy at the height of his popularity and charisma, became a huge hit and a cult classic.In this film, dear children, Murphy played Prince Akeem — he didn’t need to be called Prince Charming, because he was already so darned charming.

First off, let’s be clear. While “woke” is often weaponized by the bad faith right as a pejorative—something that will “cancel” you— the entire concept of inclusivity and expanding compassion and understanding for everyone, but specifically the marginalized, overlooked, and those you may not have afforded empathy towards in the past, is inherently a good thing, period.

“Coming 2 America” darn near copies its predecessor, down to specific cherished bits: attractive royal servants emerging from the bathtub, Fresh Peaches the rapper, an arranged marriage where the bride-to-be’s favorite food is “whatever you like.” It’s all here in director Craig Brewer’s movie, for better or worse.And the repetition doesn’t end there. The comedy is once again about a fish-out-of-water man facing a dilemma about his future.

Coming to America fans who have been longing for a sequel to the Eddie Murphy-Arsenio Hall classic may have been surprised to learn that the comedy 33 years in the making would be rated PG-13. The original was rated R.