Shari Headley Officially Joins ‘Coming to America’ Sequel

Shari Headley at the Women's History Month Celebrity Red Carpet Event at Total Woman Gym & Day Spa in Woodland Hills, CA on March 31, 2010. (Credit: Jean Nelson/Deposit Photos)

Shari Headley will reprise her role as Lisa McDowell in Paramount’s Coming to America sequel, according to a Monday story by The Hollywood Reporter.

Lisa was the love interest and eventually married Eddie Murphy’s Prince Akeem in the original 1988 film.

Since then, Headley has had recurring roles on daytime soap All My Children, OWN’s The Haves and the Have Nots and Fox’s Star. She’ll next be seen in the Showtime comedy On Becoming a God in Central Florida.

Related StoryJohn Amos to Reprise Cleo McDowell Role in ‘Coming To America’ Sequel

In the new film titled Coming 2 America, Headley will reteam with original stars Murphy, Arsenio Hall, James Earl Jones, Paul Bates and John Amos, who played her dad, Cleo McDowell.

New cast members include Wesley Snipes, Leslie Jones, Kiki Layne, and rapper Rick Ross.

The sequel follows Prince Akeem, who is set to become King of Zamunda, but discovers he has a son he never knew about in Queens. Honoring his father’s dying wish to prepare his son to become crown prince, Akeem and Semmi (Hall) return to meet the unlikely heir.

Craig Brewer is directing the sequel and Kenya Barris is writing the script. Coming 2 America is set to arrive in theaters on Dec. 18, 2020.