Ryan Reynolds and Kenneth Branagh Star in Upcoming Comedy 'Mayday'

Exciting New Film 'Mayday' Set for Streaming Release

Following their successful collaborations on films like Vacation, Game Night, and Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves, directors John Francis Daley and Jonathan Goldstein are back with their latest project, Mayday. This action-comedy, set to premiere on Apple TV on September 4, 2026, features Ryan Reynolds as a US Navy pilot who crash-lands in Russian territory during the Cold War. Kenneth Branagh plays a former KGB agent who comes to his aid.

Trailer Highlights the Unique Bond Between the Characters

Apple TV recently released the trailer for Mayday, describing the film as "A friendship with major red flags." The trailer, set to Neil Diamond's classic America, showcases Reynolds as Lieutenant Troy “Assassin” Kelly, who finds himself in a precarious situation after a crash during a covert mission. Awakening in a foreign land, he encounters Nikolai Ustinov (Branagh), a KGB agent with a secret admiration for America.

In a comedic twist, Troy questions why he is restrained, to which Nikolai humorously replies, "So you would not move during the surgery." What starts as a parody of Stephen King's Misery transitions into a buddy comedy as Nikolai attempts to help Troy escape before the KGB discovers his identity. The film also stars Maria Bakalova, Marcin Dorociński, and David Morse, with Reynolds serving as an executive producer.

Insights from the Directors

In a conversation with a prominent media outlet, Daley and Goldstein revealed that their producer, David Ellison, who leads Paramount-Skydance, is a pilot. He provided them with valuable feedback to ensure the authenticity of the action sequences involving Reynolds' character.

The trailer concludes with a humorous scene where Troy and Nikolai find themselves trapped in a coat closet while a Soviet official engages in a romantic encounter. Daley reminisced about the filming, noting that Branagh and Reynolds were so close during one scene that it appeared they were about to kiss. The directors fondly recalled this moment as one of their favorite experiences on set, mentioning that their script supervisor had to step away to avoid laughing too loudly and disrupting the take.