‘Did they all stop time?’ Fans react to first look at ‘Coming 2 America’ sequel
Fans got their first look at the upcoming film “Coming 2 America” on Thursday, fueling excitement ahead of the movie’s release early next year.
Prime Video offered a peek at scenes from the long-awaited sequel, which picks up where the original “Coming to America” (1988) left viewers with a happily-ever-after ending.
Eddie Murphy will reprise his role as Prince Akeem, who learns he has a long-lost son in the U.S. and returns to get acquainted with “the unlikely heir to the throne of Zamunda,” according to a plot synopsis on IMDB. Arsenio Hall will return as best friend and confidante, Semmi, along with much of the original cast including Garcelle Beauvais, James Earl Jones, Shari Headley and John Amos.
“These first look pictures from #Coming2America feel like if only the people we wanted to see showed up to our high school reunion,” Prime Video captioned a Twitter post with never-before-seen photos from the film.
The images spurred a flood of reactions from excited fans, many of whom were shocked by the ageless cast.
“Eddie Murphy needs to release a men’s skincare line,” one person commented.
“I had to double check James Earl Jones’ age. Did they all stop time?” wrote another.
One fan argued “every single last one of these people (in the cast) look the same if not younger than in the original,” adding: “Melanin is a way maker.”
Prime Video acquired rights to the comedy from Paramount Pictures earlier this year after it was “forced to change course and bypass a theatrical release” due to the coronavirus pandemic, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
Hall told film and pop culture magazine Complex he was grateful for the opportunity to return to the film some 30 years later.
“I wanted to put my foot in this one,” Hall told the outlet. “Everything worked out good. Everybody brought their A-game every day, giving 100 percent, on time. When you see the outtakes, you’ll realize how much fun we had. You’ll watch the outtakes and say, ‘They shouldn’t have even paid them, because they had too much fun. That’s not no job.’ ”
“When you do something like this, it’s really all about storytelling,” he added, according to Complex. “The story, the continuation of the story, is really perfect and wonderful. I love that.”
“Coming 2 America” lands on Prime Video on March 5, 2021.
This story was originally published December 17, 2020 at 7:24 PM.