As audiences await to see the duo team up for James Gunn’s highly-anticipated The Suicide Squad, John Cena (F9) and Idris Elba (Hobbs & Shaw) have already set their next project with the action project Head of State, which has just been acquired by Amazon Studios, according to Deadline.
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While plot details are currently being kept under wraps for the project, it’s being described as a being akin to the “two-hander, high-octane” action movies of the ’90s such as Air Force One and even Elba’s Fast and Furious spin-off, pairing “an odd couple in a high-stakes situation.”
The duo pitched the project to Amazon Studios over Zoom alongside screenwriter Harrison Query (My Wife & I Bought a Ranch) and producers Peter Safran and John Rickard of The Safran Company, with the actors currently finalizing their deals in a reported six-to-seven figure deal for Query. The group were reportedly halted during their presentation as the studio wanted to quickly grab the project before they could pitch it to other studios.
Following the conclusion of shooting on Gunn’s DC Extended Universe sequel, of which he was also a producer, Safran noticed a real chemistry between Cena and Elba and began working with the two to capitalize on their momentum and find a vehicle for them to lead together.
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The group subsequently turned to up-and-coming writer Query, who made a large deal with Netflix in July for a film adaptation of his Reddit six-part horror short story My Wife & I Bought a Ranch, which he is developing with his brother Matt and producer Scott Glassgold.
(Photo Credits: Getty Images)
