Mayday backdrop
Mayday poster
Action Comedy
A friendship with major red flags.

Mayday (2026)

Runtime 111 min
Release date 03/09/2026
Country United States of America
Production
Skydance Media Skydance Media
Maximum Effort Maximum Effort
GoldDay
Overview
When a U.S. Navy pilot on a top-secret mission during the Cold War gets trapped behind enemy lines, his only chance at survival is to form an alliance with an eccentric ex-KGB agent.
Directors & Screenwriters
Jonathan Goldstein profile photo
Jonathan Goldstein
Director
John Francis Daley profile photo
John Francis Daley
Director
Cast
Ryan Reynolds profile photo
Ryan Reynolds
as Troy Kelly
Kenneth Branagh profile photo
Kenneth Branagh
as Nikolai Ustinov
Marcin Dorociński profile photo
Marcin Dorociński
as Alexander Volkov
Maria Bakalova profile photo
Maria Bakalova
as Anna Ustinov
David Morse profile photo
David Morse
as Harold Kelly
All trailers
Action Comedy

Mayday

Official Trailer

Video: YouTube
Duration: 02:51
Did You Know?
Movie Review: Kenneth Branagh and Ryan Reynolds star in irreverent Cold War action-comedy ‘Mayday’
Image via telegraphherald.com,

Kenneth Branagh swaps villainy for laughs as a lovably goofy ex‑KGB agent in the new Apple TV+ comedy “Mayday”.

Ryan Reynolds teams up with Sir Kenneth Branagh for the Apple TV+ comedy “Mayday,” where a U.S. Navy pilot’s crash‑landing in a remote forest sets off a wildly off‑beat adventure. Branagh, who has built a niche playing Russian characters—from the ruthless oligarch in “Tenet” to the scheming industrialist in “Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit”—gets a fresh spin on the accent. In “Mayday” he portrays Nikolai Ustinov, a former KGB operative who has retreated to a solitary life in the woods, yet remains oddly enthusiastic about the United States. The film leans into the absurdity of Ustinov’s situation: a lone ex‑spy, a crashed Navy pilot, and the inevitable clash of cultures that fuels the comedy. With Reynolds’ signature humor and Branagh’s unexpected comedic timing, “Mayday” promises a quirky, high‑octane romp for streaming audiences.
telegraphherald.com
Ryan Reynolds' 'Top Gun' Replacement Officially Becomes a Massive Streaming Hit
Image via collider.com,

Cold‑War chaos meets comic‑book chemistry in Apple TV+'s breakout hit Mayday

John Francis Daley and Jonathan Goldstein, the duo behind Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves, have taken the tried‑and‑true odd‑couple formula and dropped it into the tense world of the Cold War. The result is Mayday, a high‑octane buddy‑action thriller that quickly vaulted to the top of Apple TV+’s streaming charts worldwide after its September 4 debut. The film pits Ryan Reynolds’ swaggering U.S. Navy pilot Troy “Assassin” Kelly against Kenneth Branagh’s eccentric ex‑KGB operative Nikolai Ustinov. After a top‑secret mission over Russian airspace goes catastrophically wrong, Kelly is stranded behind enemy lines and forced to rely on the unlikely Russian to survive. Their uneasy partnership fuels both the comedy and the suspense, delivering the classic clash of personalities that makes the buddy genre so addictive. Supporting performances round out the international intrigue: Maria Bakalova appears as Anna Ustinov, Marcin Dorociński plays the stoic Alexander Volkov, and veteran character actors David Morse, Louis Cancelmi, Wendy Crewson and Jesse Buck add depth to the tangled web of allies and adversaries. Mayday proves that even a familiar formula can feel fresh when set against an unexpected backdrop, offering action fans a perfect blend of humor, danger, and Cold‑War espionage.
collider.com