Heads of State is a buddy action comedy where the feuding US President and British Prime Minister travel across Europe to thwart a global conspiracy.
Think Midnight Run meets Air Force One, with director Ilya Naishuller (Nobody) promising ‘a throwback to the buddy movies of the 1980s and ’90s… shot through a modern lens’.
Heads of State is made all the more enjoyable by its bickering comic duo: Idris Elba’s ex-SAS-trained Prime Minister Sam Clarke, and John Cena’s US President and action movie star Will Derringer. It’s co-written by Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol pair Josh Appelbaum and Andre Nemec.
To give the film a global scale, Naishuller and his crew shot in four European countries. ‘This is a true road movie where we actually travel the world to capture an eclectic cross section of backdrops,’ explains producer John Rickard.
But where exactly was Heads of State shot? Take a look below to find out.
What happens in Heads of State?
Clarke and Derringer have a very public rivalry. As an SAS-trained veteran, Clarke looks down on Hollywood action star Derringer. Clarke is particularly frustrated because, while he’s a career politician who struggled his way up to become Prime Minister, Derringer is hugely popular across the world after recently being elected. With tensions simmering between the pair, the countries’ special relationship is at risk.
Derringer and Clarke are forced to fly to a NATO summit in Italy together to show that there are no hard feelings. On the way, though, Air Force One is shot down. Still intent on getting to the summit, they’re soon joined by MI6 agent Noel Bisset (Priyanka Chopra Jonas), who vows to keep them safe. Derringer and Clarke have to work together to not just stay alive, but to also figure out who tried to kill them.
Where was Heads of State filmed?
Elba, Cena and co had their own Eurotrip making Heads of States, venturing to France, England, Serbia, and Italy for filming.
The tomato festival was filmed in Sospel, France
Heads of States’ opening sequence – where Noel chases Paddy Considine’s international arms dealer — unfolds at the Tomatino Festival. The tomato-flinging event, the world’s biggest food fight, has been held annually in Buñol, Spain since 1945.
Unable to film in Spain (or use actual tomatoes), Heads of State’s version of the Tomatino Festival sequence was actually filmed in a square in Sospel in southern France. Visual effects, SFX and props were used to recreate the tomatoey carnage. The production also used a studio in Nice to film the interiors of the final car chase (see below).
The plane crash scene was filmed at Longcross Studios, England
For the plane crash scene, the crew created a huge replica of Air Force One in Longcross Studios, Surrey. Longcross was also used for various other interior sequences, including scenes set at a Warsaw safe house.
When the plane is shot down, Clarke and Derringer land in a remote area of Belarus. Rather than Eastern Europe, production designer Niall Moroney rejigged a military base near Surrey to show the crash-landing.
Liverpool’s St George’s Hall and the Port of Liverpool Building cameo for scenes of a NATO summit in Trieste, Italy.
The farmyard fight was filmed in Serbia
While in Belarus, Derringer and Clarke try to hot wire a car to get to a safe house in Warsaw, Poland. However, when a group of local farmers spot them, a brawl ensues. Those scenes were filmed in Serbia.
The car chase was filmed in Trieste, Italy
At the end of Heads of State, Derringer and Clarke use the presidential SUV known as ‘the Beast’ in a car chase. The vehicle’s interiors were filmed in France, while stunt drivers drove the car and five pursuing vehicles down the tiny, narrow streets in Trieste.
Who stars in Heads of State?
John Cena and Idris Elba share headline duties, reuniting after their collaboration on 2021’s The Suicide Squad.
Priyanka Chopra Jonas is best known for Prime Video action thriller series Citadel and the movies Baywatch, Isn’t It Romantic, and The Matrix Resurrections. Heads of State’s cast is rounded out by Paddy Considine, The Boys’ Jack Quaid, Barry’s Stephen Root, Ted Lasso’s Sarah Niles, Sin City’s Carla Gugino and District 9 star Sharlto Copley.
How can I watch Heads of State and when does it come out?
Heads of State is streaming on Prime Video from July 2.
Is there a trailer?
There is, and you can check it below.
