Warm Bodies’ Jonathan Levine and black-ish’s Kenya Barris are taking on the Coming to America sequel
Warm Bodies director Jonathan Levine and black-ish creator Kenya Barris are set to take on the Coming to America sequel for Paramount, according to THR. Levine will direct the sequel to the Eddie Murphy comedy from 1988 and Barris will rewrite the script. The Coming to America sequel has been in development for quite some time, and in April of this year, original screenwriters Barry Blaustein and David Sheffield were hired to write the script. Murphy has been involved with the development and will reportedly star in the film. Kevin Misher will produce.
The original film was directed by John Landis, and starred Murphy as a wealthy African prince who comes to Queens, New York posing as a poor man to search for a bride. The film co-starred Arsenio Hall, James Earl Jones, Shari Headley, John Amos, Eriq La Salle and Louie Anderson.
Murphy has kept a low profile over the last five years, only starring in one film, the dramatic 2016 dud Mr. Church. He’s been attached to several non-starter projects, including Beverly Hills Cop IV, a Twins sequel titled Triplets, and a Richard Pryor biopic from Lee Daniels.
In addition to directing the zombie love story Warm Bodies, Levine is known for films like The Wackness, The Night Before and 50/50, starring Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Seth Rogen. He also directed the pilot for the Showtime comedy series I’m Dying Up Here. He recently directed Amy Schumer and Goldie Hawn in Snatched.
Barris created the Emmy-nominated series black-ish and co-wrote the comedy Girls Trip, which hit $114 million at the box office. He’s also worked on the Son of Shaft script.
What do you guys think of the team up for the upcoming Coming to America sequel? Are you a fan of the original? Let us know in the comments.
