'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
Heads of State, a 2025 action-comedy directed by Ilya Naishuller, features John Cena and Idris Elba as unlikely political leaders forced to work together after a catastrophic incident.
The movie was released worldwide by Amazon MGM Studios via Prime Video on July 2, 2025. Heads of State traces the journey of the President of the United States and the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom through international intrigues and high-stakes threats.
Trending
The lead cast of the movie features John Cena as US President Will Derringer, an ex-Hollywood action star unexpectedly thrust into a real-life international crisis. Idris Elba plays the British Prime Minister, and Sam Clarke plays a retired SAS agent whose keen senses and pragmatic personality make him a perfect yet unwilling companion.
Lastly, Priyanka Chopra Jonas is Noel Bisset, a dedicated MI6 agent who becomes a significant point in the survival of the leaders and the conspiracy itself. Together Cena, Elba, and Chopra collectively provide an interesting combination of comedy, raw force, and star power that fuels the worldwide action thriller film.
Filming Locations of Heads of State
Heads of State was shot in various studio settings and four European countries to frame its high-stakes narrative. As per Time Out, producer John Rickard explained,
‘This is a true road movie where we actually travel the world to capture an eclectic cross section of backdrops.’
The following lists the major shooting sites involved in the production of Heads of State.
1) Longcross Studios, England
England provided the iconic political backdrop essential to the story’s opening, depicting the power dynamic between the US President and the UK Prime Minister.
In the case of the plane crash scene, the crew constructed a gigantic mock-up of Air Force One in the Longcross Studios in Surrey. Other interior scenes, such as those filmed at a Warsaw safe house, were also shot in Longcross.
Instead of Eastern Europe, production designer Niall Moroney reconfigured a military facility in a region close to Surrey to depict the crash-landing.
2) Liverpool, England
St George's Hall and the streets surrounding the Port of Liverpool Building were heavily utilized to film large-scale meetings and chase scenes scheming through imposing neoclassical buildings.
The St George Hall in Liverpool and the Port of Liverpool Building cameo showed scenes of a NATO summit in Trieste, Italy.
3) Sospel, France
A small village of Sospel in France was converted into a vibrant, chaotic Spanish square in order to duplicate the La Tomatina festival. The opening sequence of the Heads of States in which Noel pursues Paddy Considine international arms dealer, occurs in the Tomatino Festival area.
Being unable to shoot in Spain (or use actual tomatoes), the version of the Tomatino Festival scene in Heads of State was shot using visual effects, SFX, and props to recreate the tomatoey carnage.
4) Nice, France
Complex stunt-heavy interior scenes were shot at the historic Victorine Studios of Nice.
The sweeping coastal road and old town streets of Europe were shot in Grasse and Theoule-sur-Mer, bringing the Mediterranean flavor. A studio in Nice was also used in the interiors of the last car chase.
5) Trieste, Italy
Trieste played home to some of the most ambitious action scenes in the movie, including high-speed car chases shot through Piazza Unita d'Italia (including the Ponte Rosso and Port of Trieste) and the Cathedral.
Explosive scenes featured car crashes, rooftop chases, and extensive stunts along the waterfront in the Adriatic. In a car chase at the end of Heads of State, Derringer and Clarke utilize a presidential SUV called "the Beast". Stunt drivers used the car and five other cars to drive down the narrow and small streets of Trieste.
6) Belgrade, Serbia
The outskirts of Belgrade were utilized in both urban and rural areas to portray Belarus, where the main crisis of the film unfolds. There were scenes of the crash site of Air Force One, tense firefights in picturesque fields, and gritty hideouts shot around the industrial zones and country roads on the outskirts of the city.
Serbia offered affordable, flexible locations that would pass off as Eastern Europe with minimal CGI and set dressing, enabling the filmmakers to provide realism on a low budget.
Featuring a talented cast and carefully chosen shooting sites, Heads of State provides a combination of cinematic spectacle and thrilling storyline. Heads of State is currently available exclusively on Prime Video.
