Ryan Reynolds and Kenneth Branagh Go Behind Enemy Lines in Explosive ‘Mayday’ Trailer

Ryan Reynolds and Kenneth Branagh are teaming up for a wild Cold War adventure in Apple Original Films’ Mayday, and the new trailer promises a chaotic mix of aerial action, espionage and buddy-comedy madness.

The first trailer for Mayday has landed, giving audiences their first major look at Ryan Reynolds and Kenneth Branagh as two unlikely allies caught in a dangerous Cold War mission gone spectacularly wrong.

Apple Original Films unveiled the trailer for the action-comedy ahead of its September 4, 2026, global premiere on Apple TV. The film reunites Reynolds with the filmmaking duo behind Game Night and Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves, John Francis Daley and Jonathan Goldstein.

And judging by the trailer, Mayday is anything but a conventional spy thriller.

Ryan Reynolds Crashes Into Enemy Territory

Ryan Reynolds stars as Lieutenant Troy “Assassin” Kelly, a hotshot U.S. Navy pilot sent on a secret mission into Russian territory during the height of the Cold War.

The mission quickly turns into a nightmare when Troy’s aircraft crashes behind enemy lines. With seemingly nowhere to turn, the stranded pilot is discovered by Nikolai Ustinov, played by Branagh. Nikolai is a gruff former KGB agent with an unexpected obsession with American culture.

Instead of turning Troy over to the authorities, however, Nikolai decides to help him.

That unlikely decision launches a dangerous partnership between two men who should be enemies.

Kenneth Branagh Gets an Action Hero Makeover

One of the biggest surprises in the Mayday trailer is Kenneth Branagh’s transformation into a surprisingly physical action star.

The actor’s Nikolai isn’t simply Ryan Reynolds’ reluctant sidekick. He gets into brutal hand-to-hand fights, including a restaurant confrontation that delivers some of the film’s biggest action moments.

Directors Daley and Goldstein revealed that Branagh took the role’s physical demands seriously, reportedly practicing his fight choreography before filming.

The filmmakers also deliberately kept the action visible rather than hiding the stunt work behind rapid editing.

That approach was influenced partly by classic Jackie Chan movies, allowing viewers to appreciate the choreography and physical comedy.

A Cold War Thriller With a ‘Misery’ Twist

Despite its aircraft battles and espionage storyline, Mayday appears determined to keep audiences guessing about exactly what kind of movie they’re watching.

Daley described the film as having a tonal “rug pull,” with the opening potentially resembling a psychological thriller before the story transforms into an action comedy.

The filmmakers have even compared part of the setup to Misery, with Nikolai initially appearing as the mysterious stranger who nurses an injured outsider back to health.

But Troy’s relationship with his unlikely rescuer soon evolves into something far more complicated.

The trailer also features snowy escapes, awkward encounters, brutal fights and Reynolds’ trademark comedic timing.

The Flying Had to Be Seriously Accurate

Mayday also benefited from the involvement of Skydance’s David Ellison, an experienced pilot who reportedly paid close attention to the movie’s aviation details.

According to the filmmakers, Ellison offered unusually specific notes about the flying sequences, including the accuracy of the “hard deck” used during aerial maneuvers.

The movie is produced by Skydance Media and Maximum Effort, with Daley and Goldstein writing, directing and producing.

Ryan Reynolds and George Dewey serve as executive producers for Maximum Effort.

When Does ‘Mayday’ Release?

Mayday will premiere globally on Apple TV on September 4, 2026.

The combination of Reynolds’ comedy, Branagh’s unexpected action turn and the film’s Cold War setting could make it one of Apple’s biggest action-comedy releases of the year.

With a plane crash, espionage, Russian intrigue and two wildly mismatched characters forced to rely on each other, Mayday is clearly aiming to deliver a very different kind of buddy movie.