Apple Original Films has unveiled the trailer for the action-packed comedy Mayday. The plot centers on a fictional American pilot, played by Ryan Reynolds, whose plane is shot down over Soviet territory at the height of the Cold War. The pilot is recruited by a former KGB agent with a passion for American culture, played by Oscar winner Kenneth Branagh.
Streaming Apple TV is positioning the film as an “action-packed buddy comedy” that “turns the spy thriller genre on its head.” Ace US Navy pilot Lieutenant Troy “Assassin” Kelly (Reynolds) is sent on a top-secret mission into the Soviet Union, but the mission goes wrong and he ends up behind enemy lines. The film's title refers to the international Mayday distress signal, similar to the more well-known SOS designation.
Reynolds' character is eventually rescued by gruff former KGB agent Nikolai Ustinov (Branagh). It turns out that he is obsessed with American culture and way of life. The main character will have to get out of the USSR while he and his new acquaintance are pursued by the authorities and numerous oddities, the producers noted.
The film was a co-production between Apple Original Films and Skydance Media. The script was written by John Francis Daley and Jonathan Goldstein (Horrible Bosses, Spider-Man: Homecoming, Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves).
The producers were Paramount Skydance head David Ellison, Dana Goldberg and Don Granger (Top Gun: Maverick, Mission: Impossible – Fallout, Mission: Impossible – Deadly Reckoning – Part One). The executive producers were John Scotti (“Alice Through the Looking Glass,” “The Incredible Hulk”), George Dewey, who worked with Reynolds on “Deadpool and Wolverine,” as well as the Hollywood actor himself.
Work on the film began in 2023, and the world premiere of Mayday will take place on September 4, 2026. Apple TV's past successes include Ted Lasso and Split, as well as F1, starring Brad Pitt, which became the highest-grossing sports film in history.
