Richard Mofe-Damijo & Joseph Benjamin To Star In ‘Coming To America’-Inspired Film

June 5, 2018 Amaka Chimezie

Although the Eddie Murphy-led Coming To America is one of the most beloved comedies of all time, we still think it’s a frustratingly shallow depiction of Africa and African immigrants — probably because it was helmed by white filmmakers.

So, since we’ve already decried the reported sequel, we’ll be saving our energy and money for the Richard Mofe-Damijo and Joseph Benjamin-led The Heir Apparent, an upcoming film, clearly inspired by the 1988 hit, that should benefit from a specifically African perspective.

A post shared by Richard Mofe-Damijo RMD (@mofedamijo) on Apr 28, 2018 at 4:52am PDT

Produced by Steve Ogbaro and directed by Robert Peters (30 Days In Atlanta, A Trip To Jamaica), The Heir Apparent will follow a Nigerian prince who travels to America to study and ends up getting completely culture shocked.

Speaking about landing two high-profile actors for the film, Steve said:

“Everyone knows RMD as the consummate actor that delivers on every role. He has been like an older brother to me. We’ve known each other for many years.

Similarly, Joseph is also a friend, and when I sent each of them the script, they read it and after were blown away and couldn’t wait to jump on board.”

According to Steve, the film, which was shot in Atlanta and Lagos, should hit cinemas by August this year. “We hope to make a good showing at the box office. The plan is to premiere in America and go into cinemas in Nigeria and Africa as a whole”, Steve concluded.

So, although a trailer or even a teaser hasn’t been released for The Heir Apparent yet, we are definitely looking forward to seeing it — regardless of whether it turns out to be a massive success or hilarious train wreck.