Arsenio Hall has closed his deal to play Semmi again in Paramount Pictures’ upcoming Coming to America 2, according to Deadline. In the original film, Semmi is Prince Akeem’s best friend and personal aide who travels with him to the U.S. Arsenio Hall played a few other roles as well, but we’ll have to wait and see if he does so again.
In the sequel, Eddie Murphy‘s Prince Akeem learns about a long-lost son and must return to America to meet the unlikely heir to the throne of Zamunda.
Paramount Pictures has set the sequel’s release date for December 18, 2020. Craig Brewer (Hustle & Flow) will direct from a script by Kenya Barris (black-ish).
Murphy is producing Coming to America 2 with Kevin Misher, while Barris will also serve as executive producer.
In the first film, which opened on June 29, 1988 and was directed by John Landis, a very wealthy and pampered African prince comes to America in search of a bride. Accompanied by his closest companion (Hall), Murphy’s Prince Akeem quickly finds a job, new friends, new digs, new enemies and lots of trouble.
The movie also starred James Earl Jones, John Amos, Madge Sinclair, and Shari Headley. It grossed $288.8 million at the worldwide box office.