Idris Elba and John Cena are teaming up again for a new action movie, Heads of State, after co-starring in James Gunn's upcoming The Suicide Squad. In Gunn's Suicide Squad soft reboot, which is scheduled to release theatrically in the United States on August 6, 2021, Elba and Cena appear in the roles of Robert DuBois/Bloodsport and Christopher Smith/Peacemaker respectively. When Elba and Cena were filming The Suicide Squad, they reportedly delivered electrifying chemistry. This prompted Peter Safran, a producer on the DC movie, to find another project for the stars to work on together. Safran subsequently came up with the action flick Heads of State, allowing fans another opportunity to savor Elba and Cena's camaraderie on screen.
Safran is developing Heads of State under the banner of his production house, The Safran Company. Joining him in his new venture is Safran's president of production John Rickard, Mark Jacoby, and emerging scribe Harrison Query. Safran had pitched Heads of State to Amazon Studios in a Zoom presentation. He had planned to propose the project to other studios as well, but before he could auction the film elsewhere, Amazon closed a deal with Safran, allocating a budget somewhere between high-six and low-seven figures for his upcoming movie.
Deadline reports that Safran has cast Idris Elba and John Cena in lead roles in Heads of State. While the particulars are largely under wraps, it is believed that Heads of State will feature Elba and Cena as unlikely partners, who join forces reluctantly in the wake of high-risk circumstances. The movie is reportedly a '90s-style classic two-hander featuring high-octane drama and action. Deadline also notes that the premise of Heads of State sounds like a mix of Air Force One and Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw, a movie that Elba had previously acted in.
Per Deadline, now that Safran has closed a deal with Amazon, he has commenced casting for Heads of State. At the moment, however, there are no talents attached to the movie other than Elba and Cena. It appears that it will be a while until any further updates are released, as Safran and his production company are currently preoccupied with preparing for the release of The Conjuring sequel, The Devil Made Do It. The producer is also readying the Aquaman and Shazam follow-ups and working on HBO Max's Peacemaker, a Suicide Squad spin-off series that features Cena in the lead role.
While there is certainly some time until viewers can savor their favorite stars taking the stage in a big-ticket feature, the news about Cena and Elba reteaming is enough to rouse fans. Elba and Cena are also part of the Fast and Furious universe, but they don't share screen-space in any of the movies. If, however, Elba and Cena's pairing plays out as per to Safran's vision, it may eventually inspire Fast and Furious creators to cast the stars together in a movie. As for now, fans must keep their fingers crossed for The Suicide Squad and Heads of State. The movies' EP is confident about Elba and Cena's on-screen chemistry, and his assurance is certainly making it hard for fans to contain their excitement about witnessing Elba and Cena together on screen.
Source: Deadline