Ryan Reynolds discusses Mayday at the film’s world premiere, including the instant chemistry he found with co-star Kenneth Branagh and the unlikely partnership between their American and Russian characters. Reynolds reflects on how quickly that chemistry developed and how their contrasting characters became central to the Apple TV film’s buddy-action dynamic.
Reynolds also talks about Mayday as a love letter to the classic buddy action comedies of the 1980s, while explaining why the story still feels relevant today. He discusses the film’s Top Gun-inspired humor and how writers and directors John Francis Daley and Jonathan Goldstein found a way to explore meaningful ideas without losing the light, entertaining tone at the heart of the movie.
Set during the Cold War, Mayday stars Reynolds as U.S. Navy pilot Lieutenant Troy “Assassin” Kelly, whose top-secret mission into Russian territory leaves him stranded behind enemy lines. Kenneth Branagh stars as Nikolai Ustinov, a former KGB agent whose unexpected alliance with Troy turns the traditional spy thriller into a genre-bending action comedy. Mayday premieres globally September 4, 2026, on Apple TV.