The folks at Amazon have released a brand new trailer for the upcoming action/comedy “Heads of State.” This is a two-hander that reunites Idris Elba and John Cena, who previously starred in “The Suicide Squad” together. This time, instead of playing villains turned heroes, they’re playing government officials at the highest levels. Elba is the U.K. Prime Minister, and Cena is the U.S. President — and they don’t like each other. Let the comedy ensue.
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The new film, which is going straight to Prime Video in July, was directed by Ilya Naishuller, best known for his work on 2021’s “Nobody” starring Bob Odenkirk. So this seems to be right in his wheelhouse. Much of the trailer focuses on the dynamic between Elba and Cena, which is very contentious, not unlike Peacemaker and Bloodsport in “The Suicide Squad.” It doesn’t look particularly original, but it certainly looks like the leads are having fun mixing it up together. The synopsis for the film reads as follows:
The U.K. Prime Minister Sam Clarke (Idris Elba) and U.S. President Will Derringer (John Cena) have a not-so-friendly and very public rivalry that jeopardizes their countries’ “special relationship.” But when they become the targets of a powerful and ruthless foreign adversary — who proves more than a match for the two leaders’ security forces—they are begrudgingly forced to rely on the only two people they can trust: each other. Ultimately allied with the brilliant MI6 agent Noel Bisset (Priyanka Chopra Jonas), they must go on the run and find a way to work together long enough to thwart a global conspiracy that threatens the entire free world.
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Heads of State lets John Cena and Idris Elba be funny together again
Ultimately, this looks like a very good excuse to let Elba and Cena do what they do best. Yes, they are both known for kicking a certain amount of ass, but these men are also both very funny, particularly together. Letting them exercise that dynamic a bit more feels like a worthwhile endeavor.
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Elba helped give us one of the best seasons of “The Office” by playing the very funny straight man Charles Miner. As for Cena, the wrestler-turned-actor has consistently delivered on the comedic front, headlining Amazon’s “Ricky Stanicky” last year, cementing him as a rare beefcake comedy star in Hollywood. Together, they work well off of one another, and that alone may be worth the price of admission for this one.
Priyanka Chopra Jonas (“Citadel”), Carla Gugino (“Watchmen”), Jack Quaid (“The Boys”), Stephen Root (“No Country for Old Men”), Sarah Niles (“Ted Lasso”), Richard Coyle (“Chilling Adventures of Sabrina”), and Paddy Considine (“The World’s End”) round out the star-studded cast.
Josh Appelbaum, André Nemec, and Harrison Query collaborated on the script for this one. DC Studios co-head Peter Safran is on board as a producer alongside John Rickard, with Marcus Viscidi, Appelbaum, Nemec, Cena, and Elba serving as executive producers.
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“Heads of State” begins streaming on Prime Video on July 2, 2025.
