‘Deadpool’ Star Ryan Reynolds Teams With Kenneth Branagh for Cold War Thriller ‘Mayday,’ First Trailer Is Here

Ryan Reynolds has built a career on blending sharp comedy with genuine heart, and his latest project looks like it might be doing exactly that in a setting fans have not seen from him before. Rather than another superhero quip fest, the actor is heading into Cold War territory for something that blends action, tension, and buddy comedy in equal measure.

That new project, titled ‘Mayday,’ has been building anticipation since Apple TV first revealed a striking image of Reynolds and Kenneth Branagh staring each other down earlier this year. Fans have been waiting for a proper look at the film ever since, and now the wait is finally over with the official trailer landing online.

The trailer confirms ‘Mayday’ will premiere globally on Apple TV on September 4, giving audiences their first full look at what has been described as a genre-bending, action-packed buddy comedy that flips the spy thriller formula on its head. Reynolds stars as Lieutenant Troy Kelly, a hotshot U.S. Navy pilot sent on a top-secret mission deep into Russian territory during the height of the Cold War.

When that mission implodes, Troy finds himself stranded behind enemy lines with seemingly no way out. That is where Branagh’s character comes in, playing Nikolai Ustinov, a gruff former KGB agent with an unexpected soft spot for American pop culture. What follows is an unlikely alliance between the two men that the film suggests could lead not just to Troy’s rescue, but to a genuine bond neither of them saw coming.

Rounding out the cast are Marcin Dorocinski, Maria Bakalova and David Morse, adding an international mix of talent to the film’s Cold War backdrop. Behind the camera, ‘Mayday’ comes from directing duo John Francis Daley and Jonathan Goldstein, the filmmakers behind ‘Game Night’ and ‘Dungeons and Dragons, Honor Among Thieves,’ both of which leaned heavily into that same mix of humor and genre thrills now being promised for this film.

The project also marks another entry in the growing partnership between Reynolds and Apple, following the actor’s earlier collaboration on ‘Spirited.’ ‘Mayday’ is produced by Skydance Media as part of its first look deal with Apple, a partnership that has already delivered films like ‘Ghosted’ and ‘The Gorge.’ Reynolds is also serving as an executive producer on the project through his Maximum Effort banner.

For Branagh, the role offers a chance to lean into a more calculated, morally murky character, a shift from his more recent work directing and starring in mysteries like ‘A Haunting in Venice’ and ‘Death on the Nile.’ Between his Cold War villain turn here and his continued directing career, Branagh has been keeping an especially busy and varied schedule lately.

‘Mayday’ has actually been finished for quite some time, with production first getting underway back in early 2024 in Montreal under a different working title before wrapping just two months later. Apple appears to have been holding onto the film until the timing felt right, and the studio is clearly ramping up its promotional push now, with ‘Mayday’ also set to get a spotlight at Comic Con as part of Apple TV’s first-ever Hall H presentation later this month.

Given the pairing of Reynolds’ comedic instincts with Branagh’s dramatic weight, plus a story rooted in genuine Cold War tension, ‘Mayday’ looks like it could carve out its own lane among this year’s crop of streaming action releases. With the trailer now out and a Comic Con panel on the horizon, fans should expect the buzz around the film to only grow over the next few weeks.

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