HEADS OF STATE (2025) – MOVIE DETAILS
Plot Summary
Heads of State follows UK Prime Minister Sam Clarke (Idris Elba) and US President Will Derringer (John Cena), who are forced to cooperate after becoming targets of Russian arms dealer Viktor Gradov. During a La Tomatina festival in Spain, MI6 and CIA agents are ambushed, and Gradov gains access to ECHELON, the global surveillance program.
After Air Force One is shot down, Clarke and Derringer are stranded in Belarus. With help from CIA officer Marty Comer and MI6 agent Noel Bisset (Priyanka Chopra), they uncover betrayals within their inner circle and confront Gradov and Vice President Elizabeth Kirk (Carla Gugino) to prevent a NATO crisis. The film blends action, espionage, and comedy, culminating in a dramatic showdown at the NATO summit in Trieste.
A post-credits scene reveals that Comer survived the earlier attack.
Cast Table
| Role | Actor |
|---|---|
| Sam Clarke, UK Prime Minister | Idris Elba |
| Will Derringer, US President | John Cena |
| Noel Bisset, Senior MI6 Agent | Priyanka Chopra |
| Marty Comer, CIA Officer | Jack Quaid |
| Viktor Gradov, Russian Arms Dealer | Paddy Considine |
| Arthur Hammond, Hacker | Stephen Root |
| Elizabeth Kirk, US Vice President | Carla Gugino |
| Simone Bradshaw, White House Chief of Staff | Sarah Niles |
| Quincy Harrington, Downing Street Chief of Staff | Richard Coyle |
| Cat Derringer, US First Lady | Clare Foster |
| Olga, Assassin | Katrina Durden |
| Sasha, Assassin | Aleksandr Kuznetsov |
| Thomas ‘Coop’ Cooper, CIA Officer | Sharlto Copley |
| Jack Gordon, Reporter | Adrian Lukis |
| Belarusian Farmer | Ingeborga Dapkunaite |
| Belarusian Gopnik | Andrei Dementiev |
| Agent Crasson, Secret Service | Steven Cree |
| Cameo | Claudia Doumit, Dan Abrams |
Production Details
| Aspect | Details |
|---|---|
| Director | Ilya Naishuller |
| Producers | Amazon Studios / MGM |
| Main Cast | Idris Elba, John Cena, Priyanka Chopra |
| Cinematography | – |
| Music | – |
| Filming Locations | London, Liverpool (St George’s Hall), Trieste (Italy), Belgrade (Serbia) |
| Principal Photography | May 2023 – May 2024 |
Notes:
- Elba and Cena previously co-starred in The Suicide Squad (2021).
- Priyanka Chopra, Paddy Considine, Stephen Root, Carla Gugino, Jack Quaid, Sarah Niles, and Richard Coyle joined in 2023.
Release Details
| Detail | Information |
|---|---|
| Platform | Prime Video |
| Worldwide Release | 2 July 2025 |
Reception
| Source | Rating / Notes |
|---|---|
| Rotten Tomatoes | 68% positive from 111 critics; consensus: “Heads of State’s lighthearted handling of geopolitics may be too cute by half, but the comedic alliance between Idris Elba and John Cena remains strong in this slick action flick.” |
| Metacritic | 57/100 based on 19 critics, “mixed or average reviews” |
| RogerEbert.com | 2.5/4 stars – “Stupid fun, done with enough panache that its thin story and sometimes too-glib attitude doesn’t hurt it too much.” |