Mayday - Cold War action comedy with Ryan Reynolds and Kenneth Branagh coming to Apple TV
Mayday centers on a U.S. Navy pilot sent on a top-secret mission into Soviet territory at the height of the Cold War. The mission goes wrong, his plane crashes, and Ryan Reynolds’ character is left wounded and stranded behind enemy lines in the Russian wilderness.
He is discovered and nursed back to health by Nikolai Ustinov, a former KGB agent played by Kenneth Branagh. Instead of a hardline ideologue, Ustinov turns out to be a devoted fan of American culture, from movies and music to food. That clash between official Cold War narratives and personal tastes drives much of the humor: one man has been trained to see the West as the enemy, while the other secretly quotes Hollywood films, debates burger chains and knows more about U.S. pop culture than many Americans.
Mayday is pitched as a genre-bending mix of spy thriller and action comedy. The trailer features both high-stakes survival behind enemy lines and a steady stream of absurd situations where serious tension is undercut by jokes and self-awareness. Visually, the film shows off large-scale Soviet-style parades, firefights framed by a burning crash site and quieter cabin scenes where a former spy tends to the man he was supposed to see as an enemy.
Directed by John Francis Daley and Jonathan Goldstein, known for Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves and Game Night, Mayday continues their focus on character-driven comedy wrapped in genre thrills. The movie is produced by Apple Original Films together with Skydance and Maximum Effort, Ryan Reynolds’ production banner. Their collaboration aims to deliver the kind of fast, witty buddy action that plays well both on big screens and streaming.
Mayday is scheduled to premiere on Apple TV on September 4, 2026, giving the platform another high-profile action comedy led by major stars. For Reynolds fans, it promises more of his signature blend of deadpan humor and high-energy set pieces, while viewers tired of solemn Cold War thrillers may appreciate a take where ideology is mostly a backdrop for jokes, explosions and a very unlikely friendship.
