Some Scenes in 'Coming 2 America' Were Filmed at Rick Ross' Opulent Mansion
Mar. 7 2021, Updated 1:03 p.m. ET
The next installment of Coming to America sees Prince Akeem (Eddie Murphy) set out on a quest to Queens, N.Y., to find his son, Lavelle Junson (Jermaine Fowler).
Much like the cult-classic original, Coming 2 America is jam-packed with expertly-curated cultural references — including a much-anticipated cameo by the Sexual Chocolate — and laugh-out-loud funny jokes. So, where was the hit comedy filmed? Here's what you should know about the shooting locations.
Where was 'Coming 2 America' filmed?
Living up to fans' expectations posed a mighty challenge for production designer Jefferson Sage, who came to replace the legendary Richard Macdonald, costume designer Ruth E. Carter, who won an Academy Award for her work on Black Panther, and the rest of the creative team of Coming 2 America.
Some of the old shooting locations were scrapped — including the junction of South 5th Street and Hooper Street in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, N.Y., which served as the location of the barbershop scenes in Coming to America. Fans have nothing to worry about, however, as the creators went to incredible length to recreate the aesthetic of the first movie.
Rick Ross's 45,000 square-foot mansion serves as the backdrop of some of the scenes.
To recreate the grandiose atmosphere of the Zamundan palace, the creators set up shop inside "Teflon Don" singer Rick Ross' 45,000 square-foot mansion in the city of Fayetteville, Ga. With 12 bedrooms, 21 bathrooms, and a range of luxury amenities to boast, the beautiful home makes for the perfect setting for the royal residence.
"That entrance foyer with the big two-story interior and double-winding staircase was perfect," Jefferson, the production designer of Coming 2 America, told Variety. "Off of that, there were two beautiful big rooms with giant windows and 18-foot ceilings. We used five key spaces that we turned into Zamunda."
Story has it, Rick's real-life bedroom doubled as the primary bedroom depicted in Coming 2 America. Another room that came in handy was the dining room — which can seat up to 100 guests.
"They changed the wallpaper in the dining room so I asked them to keep it up there. They also created that huge dining room table for a dining scene that seats 50-60 people, and they left that for me as a gift. It's humongous," Rick told Variety.
My-T-Sharp Barber Shop was recreated on an external soundstage.
The scenes taking place at My-T-Sharp Barber Shop were filmed on a sound stage at the Tyler Perry Studios in Atlanta, Ga.
"It was such a New York statement and a time capsule that we wanted to keep it the same. Thirty years have passed and nothing has changed with the characters," Jefferson told Architectural Digest. "It has a sense of coming home and really anchors our movie to the previous one."
The art department went to extraordinary lengths to track down props used for the barbershop scenes featured in Coming to America — but in some cases, they had no choice but to rebuild pieces of furniture by hand.
It's understood that set decorator Douglas A. Mowat stumbled upon the barbershop chairs during a treasure hunt at a Los Angeles rental house. Other items, like the shoeshine stand, had to be recreated on set — as the one used in the first movie was no longer in good enough condition.
"We went to great lengths to find as much as we could, and we got just about everything," Jefferson told Variety.
Impossible it may sound, but some scenes were likely too lavish to be filmed at Rick's mansion. Take, for instance, the throne room or the ballroom scenes — which had to be recreated on an external soundstage as well.
Coming 2 America is now streaming on Amazon Prime.
