Image Credit Prime Video
By Jon Donnis
John Cena and Idris Elba are back together, but this time they're not battling each other in a squad of supervillains. In Heads of State, premiering on Prime Video on 2 July 2025, they're leading the charge in a globe-trotting action comedy that throws diplomacy out the window and leans into mayhem with style. Elba plays UK Prime Minister Sam Clarke, Cena is U.S. President Will Derringer, and the two are stuck with each other whether they like it or not. The pair's frosty public rivalry ends up becoming a real problem when a powerful foreign threat targets both of them, forcing these two stubborn leaders to trust the only people they can rely on: each other.
Image Credit Prime Video
The setup is pure buddy-action nostalgia, soaked in all the energy of those big, brash 90s pair-ups. There's no shortage of explosions, wild stunts and high-stakes drama, but it's all underpinned by sharp, fast-moving comedy that plays off the personalities at the centre. Neither Clarke nor Derringer are particularly good at sharing the spotlight, but they're going to have to figure it out on the run if they want to stay alive. Priyanka Chopra Jonas plays MI6 agent Noel Bisset, joining the chaotic road trip as a much more competent counterbalance, while the supporting cast is full of familiar names including Carla Gugino, Jack Quaid, Stephen Root, Sarah Niles, Richard Coyle and Paddy Considine.
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Ilya Naishuller, who directed Hardcore Henry and Nobody, is behind the camera here, so expect a kinetic visual style that doesn't take itself too seriously. The film blends that gritty, action-heavy approach with the kind of quick-fire banter that drives buddy films when they're at their best. That mix of physical comedy and intense set pieces gives the whole thing a high-octane rhythm, never really letting the characters, or the audience, catch their breath.
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Cena and Elba bring a natural chemistry, picking up where they left off in The Suicide Squad, though this time they're not on opposing sides. Probably. They're both listed as executive producers too, so it's clear they're throwing themselves into the project with more than just the usual on-screen bravado. The screenplay is by Josh Appelbaum, André Nemec and Harrison Query, based on a story by Query, and it's full of the kind of clever twists and big laughs that come with two oversized egos locked in a situation neither one can fully control.
Image Credit Prime Video
Heads of State looks like the kind of film that revels in its own chaos. It's a chase, a fight, and a buddy story all rolled into one, with plenty of snark and a good helping of tension between its leads. With a clear affection for the genre it's playing in, and a cast that knows how to walk the line between serious action and comic timing, it's set to bring a different kind of diplomacy to screens this summer.
Coming to Prime Video Globally on 2 July 2025
