Ryan Reynolds is heading back to the 1980s for his latest action comedy, and this time he's bringing Kenneth Branagh along for the ride.
Apple TV has unveiled the first look at Mayday, a "genre-bending" spy thriller that reimagines the Cold War era through the lens of an unlikely buddy comedy. The streamer also confirmed the film will launch globally on 4 September.
Mayday stars Reynolds as Lieutenant Troy 'Assassin' Kelly, a hotshot US Navy pilot whose top-secret mission into Russian territory goes spectacularly wrong, leaving him stranded behind enemy lines.
Enter Nikolai Ustinov (Branagh), a gruff ex-KGB agent with an unexpected fondness for American culture, who discovers the downed pilot and forms an unlikely alliance that could lead to Troy's rescue – and a friendship neither man saw coming.
Fans are already excited to see the duo onscreen, with one writing on X: "can't wait, "reynolds and branagh? yes please." Another fan said: "I swear, September 4th can’t come soon enough" while a third simply, but excitedly, wrote: "Oooohhh I’m seated".
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Reynolds is best known for his portrayal of Wade Wilson, aka Deadpool, in the Marvel universe. He recently appeared as the 'Merc with a Mouth' in 2024's Deadpool and Wolverine and will reprise the role for the upcoming Avengers: Doomsday.
Award-winning Branagh has recently been playing detective Hercule Poirot in the films Murder on the Orient Express, Death on the Nile, and A Haunting in Venice, all of which he also directed.
It isn't just the two stars that fans will be excited to see. The ensemble cast for Mayday also features Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One star Marcin Dorocinski, The Apprentice and Borat's Maria Bakalova, and industry stalwart David Morse, known for The Hurt Locker, The Green Mile, HBO's miniseries John Adams, and more.
The upcoming film is written, directed, and produced by the filmmaking duo John Francis Daley and Jonathan Goldstein, who previously helmed Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves and the comedy Game Night.
Mayday will premiere on Apple TV on 4 September, 2026.
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