Prime Video is throwing its weight behind the buddy-action genre this summer with Heads of State, a globe-trotting comedy-thriller fronted by Idris Elba and John Cena>. The feature drops Tuesday, July 2, 2025, as a worldwide exclusive for the streamer.
Directed by Ilya Naishuller (Hardcore Henry, Nobody), the film centers on a combustible pairing between the U.S. President and the British Prime Minister—played by Cena and Elba, respectively—who are forced into a reluctant alliance after becoming the targets of a high-level international threat. Think cold diplomacy meets hot pursuit.
Priyanka Chopra Jonas plays MI6 operative Noel Bisset, whose mission intersects with the two heads of state as they navigate a sprawling geopolitical conspiracy. The ensemble also includes Carla Gugino, Jack Quaid, Stephen Root, Sarah Niles, Richard Coyle, and Paddy Considine.
The script comes from Josh Appelbaum, André Nemec, and Harrison Query, based on a story by Query. Elba and Cena are also on board as executive producers, along with Peter Safran and John Rickard—positioning the film as a slick, mid-summer tentpole with franchise upside if it lands.
While Elba and Cena last shared screen time in The Suicide Squad, this outing gives them more room to operate as uneasy allies. Styled after ’90s buddy-action hits, Heads of State leans into that tonal lineage, aiming to hit the same quadrant-splitting sweet spot.
