John Cena and Idris Elba keep the bromance alive in 'Heads of State'

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John Cena and Idris Elba hadn’t even finished filming on The Suicide Squad before producer Peter Safran was suggesting an onscreen reunion.

The pair had an instant rapport as they traded barbs as Peacemaker (Cena) and Bloodsport (Elba) in the 2021 superhero film. So, when a script came along for a new action comedy he thought they might be a fit for, Safran — who co-leads DC Studios with James Gunn — suggested another team up.

Heads of State, which is now streaming on Prime Video, finds Cena and Elba playing feuding world leaders, who are forced to work together (alongside Priyanka Chopra Jonas and Jack Quaid) to thwart a conspiracy that threatens the free world.

“It was while we were filming,” Cena, 48, recalls hearing Safran’s pitch after he noticed he’d struck gold with the comedic pairing. “Peter noticed our chemistry and he said if we were ever interested in doing something again he wanted to make that happen.”

Cena has been around long enough to never hold his breath when he hears someone say something nice.

“That’s something you hear often in the movie business, but it’s not often that rubber hits the road,” the WWE star says. “But I got to tip my cap to Peter Safran. He said it, and meant it. and made it happen.”

Initially, Heads of State was more of a globe-trotting action thriller before director Ilya Naishuller (Nobody) decided to add more humour to the storyline.

Elba says the jokes the two exchange this time around helped them build on the chemistry they formed while making Suicide Squad.

“You never know what kind of chemistry you’re going to have with someone, but with John he’s a team player,” Elba, 52, says. “He’s extremely funny and talented, but he’s also collaborative. He’ll say, ‘Hey, we’ll set this up and I’ll make you look funny.’ I like to do that with actors too. I love to help make a great actor, greater than they are. That was definitely part of our chemistry.”

Elba also likes working with Cena because he makes him think he’s funnier than he is.

“He humours me, but I think I can tickle John’s funny bone sometimes,” Elba says. “When that happens, it’s like, ‘Yeah! I caught the ball.'”

The end product is decidedly apolitical. Cena’s President Will Derringer is a self-absorbed onetime movie star, while Elba’s British Prime Minister Sam Clarke is a no-nonsense ex-soldier hoping to revive his sagging popularity. Instead of trying to change anyone’s political beliefs, Naishuller crafts a movie that harkens back to ’80s buddy action-comedies like Lethal Weapon, Midnight Run and 48 Hrs.

These two guys are here to make you laugh and entertain viewers with some surprisingly violent action scenes — that’s all.

At one point in the film, Derringer jokes that the universe tells him he looks cool with a gun. So, what kind of wisdom do the heavens impart to them every day?

“The universe tells me that when I smile, everyone else smiles,” Elba replies after a brief pause.

“What I’m hearing from Idris’ answer is when you live with joy in your life it’s infectious. I’m going to straight out steal that. I dig that,” Cena says with a grin.

Next up, Cena will return as Peacemaker for a second season of a TV spinoff that follows the continuing exploits of his Suicide Squad character. He’s also in the midst of filming Matchbox (based on the Hot Wheels toy) and after it was unceremoniously shelved by Warner Bros., his Looney Tunes spinoff Coyote vs. Acme will get a theatrical release.

Cena, who is in the midst of a WWE farewell tour, says his time as one of wrestling’s biggest stars shares a lot of similarities with acting.

“Experience — that’s where the parallels run. And being lucky enough to paired with people who are better than you. Idris is no exception to that,” he says of being able to seamlessly transition between the squared circle and the big screen. “In the world of WWE you cannot go out there and do it alone … I was very fortunate to be raised in an environment where you are only as strong as your teammate. If we all do good work, we can move forward as a team and everybody wins.”

Heads of State is now streaming on Prime Video.

mdaniell@postmedia.com