Eddie Murphy wanted Tracy Morgan to play his son in 'Coming 2 America'

Eddie Murphy intended for Tracy Morgan to play his son in 'Coming 2 America'

By Megan Armstrong | Last updated 2/24/21

Viewers will look at Jermaine Fowler and wonder what could have been when Coming 2 America hits Amazon Prime on March 5.

Fowler plays Lavelle, long-lost heir to African monarch Akeem (Eddie Murphy), but Murphy told CinemaBlend's Eric Eisenberg that Tracy Morgan was originally chosen to portray his son in the long-awaited sequel to 1988's Coming to America.

"In the original idea, Tracy Morgan was gonna be my son," Murphy said. "Three years into writing it, Tracy was my son still. ... What changed was we met with Tracy a couple times, and it was like, Tracy looks like the same age as me. How are we gonna make this believable? Then it became, how are we gonna make this be right?"

Murphy is 59 years old. Morgan is 52 years old. So, opting to cast 32-year-old Fowler was obviously the right call.

The full interview with Murphy, Arsenio Hall and other Coming 2 America cast members is below:

Coming to America originally starred Murphy as Prince Akeem and Hall as the prince's loyal servant, Semmi. The duo traveled from their African home in fictitious Zamunda to Queens, New York, in an effort to find Akeem a wife he actually loves instead of the traditional arranged marriage King Jaffe (James Earl Jones) and Queen Aeoleon (Madge Sinclair) are pushing. The comedy earned two Oscar nominations.

In the original, Murphy and Hall each played four different roles. The same method is carried into the sequel, as Murphy is listed with nine roles and Hall with six. One difference is the director, as John Landis was at the helm back then and Craig Brewer stepped in for the reboot.

Once Prince Akeem is told by King Jaffe that he has a son named Lavelle, he and Semmi must return to Queens to retrieve him. Saturday Night Live comedienne Leslie Jones plays Lavelle's mother, Mary, while Morgan still found his way into the final cut as Lavelle's uncle, Reem.

More must-reads: