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Mayday (2026)

Name: Mayday
Genre: Action, Comedy
Released: 2026-09-03
Duration: 111 min
Rating: 7.9
Cast: Ryan Reynolds, Kenneth Branagh, Marcin Dorociński, Maria Bakalova, David Morse

Mayday (2026), directed by John Francis Daley, starring Ryan Reynolds and Kenneth Branagh.

14 09/03/2026 BR Action and Comedy 1h 51m

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Quiz about this movie

A friendship with major red flags.

Synopsis

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.

What the catalogue says about this film

The highest rated of John Francis Daley's 4 films here, at 7.9
Film 4 of 4 by John Francis Daley in the catalogue
Rated 7.9, against a Comedy average of 6.4

Every comparison is within the CineQuiz catalogue, not cinema as a whole.

Barry PetersonCinematography
John Francis DaleyDirector, Producer, Writer
Jonathan GoldsteinDirector, Producer, Writer
Jamie GrossEditing

About the film

Mayday is a 2026 American action comedy film written and directed by John Francis Daley and Jonathan Goldstein, and produced by Apple Original Films, Skydance Media, and Maximum Effort. It stars Ryan Reynolds, Kenneth Branagh, Marcin Dorociński, Maria Bakalova, and David Morse.

The film was released on Apple TV on September 4, 2026, and received positive reviews from critics.

Read the full article (4k characters)

The film was released on Apple TV on September 4, 2026, and received positive reviews from critics.

Plot

In 1987, US Navy LT Troy "Assassin" Kelly rescues his wingman who is unable to land on an aircraft carrier. After they all safely land, he is called to fly on the SR-71 Blackbird with US Air Force pilot Major Sanders. They are intercepted by a MiG and Maj Sanders is killed; Kelly maneuvers to collide with the MiG and ejects. After he lands, he is rescued by Nikolai Ustinov, a former KGB officer and a fan of American culture. Ustinov regrets his time in the KGB, and hopes to help Kelly and one day live in the US. Kelly attempts to flee, and is rescued by Ustinov, who hides him from search efforts from the KGB, led by Alexander Volkov.

Ustinov takes Kelly on a train, but they are identified by Russian military and are forced to jump off the train. They flee to a dacha and call the US Embassy in Moscow and are told to meet there. As they flee to Moscow, Volkov sees a record of their call and realizes they are en route to Moscow. Once Kelly and Ustinov arrive in Moscow, they visit Ustinov's daughter, but are forced to escape her apartment when it is attacked by Volkov's agents. The next morning, Kelly calls to arrange his rendezvous with the embassy, and they reveal that they will not provide immunity to Ustinov; unknown to Kelly, Ustinov hears this.

Ustinov hands Kelly to Volkov, who interrogates them both; he attempts to force them to sign a confession, but Ustinov grabs a pen and stabs Volkov, and he and Kelly flee and steal a mobile nuclear launcher. They reconcile when Kelly tells Ustinov why his call sign is "Assassin". They flee to the airport and steal a plane, which is boarded by Volkov as they take off. Volkov is killed after he is thrown off the plane. Kelly realizes they cannot make it to friendly territory in Finland. They land on the USS Carl Vinson after Kelly negotiates immunity for Ustinov.

After the mission, Kelly testifies in front of Congress about receiving intelligence that the US Navy knowingly exposed its shipyard workers to asbestos despite its carcinogenic effects, and is released from the Navy. He and Ustinov eat at McDonalds and talk about taking a trip.

Cast

Ryan Reynolds as Troy "Assassin" Kelly

Kenneth Branagh as Nikolai Ustinov

Marcin Dorociński as Alexander Volkov

Maria Bakalova as Anna Ustinov

David Morse as Harold Kelly

Clark Johnson as Keith Hardwick

Wendy Crewson as Karen Meadows

Louis Cancelmi as Pete Sanders

Josh Hamilton as Dan Hennessy

Lovell Adams-Gray as Tomas "Boomer" Garcia

Alex Mallari Jr. as Danny "Longshot" Bowers

Alex Ozerov as Viktor

Production

In June 2023, it was announced that an original action adventure film titled Mayday was in development for Apple TV+, with Jonathan Goldstein and John Francis Daley writing and directing as well as Ryan Reynolds (who would also produce through Maximum Effort) and Kenneth Branagh in the lead roles. In April 2024, Maria Bakalova, Marcin Dorociński, Lovell Adams-Gray and Clark Johnson were added to the cast. David Morse also joined the cast of the film.

Principal photography began in Montreal on March 4, 2024, and wrapped on May 8, under the working title Blackbird. The final stage of filming was in Budapest.

Release

Mayday was released on Apple TV on September 4, 2026.

Reception

On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 81% of 79 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 6.3/10. Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the film a score of 60 out of 100, based on 24 critics, indicating "mixed or average" reviews.

References

External links

Mayday at IMDb

Text from Mayday (2026 film) on Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mayday_(2026_film)

Trivia

The production budget was US$ 25 million.
It premiered on September 3, 2026, a Thursday.
It runs 1h51 — a typical feature length.
As of September 20, 2026, it is available in Brazil by subscription on Apple TV.
This film's quiz has 14 questions — enough to play more than once without repeats.

Production

StudiosSkydance Media, Maximum Effort, GoldDay
CountriesUnited States
LanguagesEnglish, Russian
BudgetUS$ 25,000,000
StatusReleased

More about this film

Filming locations

Montreal

Where to watch

Apple TV Streaming

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Photos

Cast

Quiz about this movie

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Crew

Barry Peterson Cinematography
John Francis Daley Director
Jonathan Goldstein Director
Jamie Gross Editing
John Lee Editing
Adam Goodman Producer
Ashley Fox Producer
Dana Goldberg Producer
David Ellison Producer
Don Granger Producer
Gergö Balika Producer
Howard Ellis Producer
John Francis Daley Producer
Johnny Pariseau Producer
Jonathan Goldstein Producer
Colin Stetson Original music
John Francis Daley Writer
Jonathan Goldstein Writer

Questions about this film

What is Mayday about?

Mayday: 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.

Who directed Mayday?

Mayday was directed by John Francis Daley and Jonathan Goldstein in 2026.

Who stars in Mayday?

The cast of Mayday includes Ryan Reynolds, Kenneth Branagh, Marcin Dorociński, Maria Bakalova and David Morse.

How long is Mayday?

Mayday runs for 111 minutes, or 1h51.

Where can I watch Mayday?

Mayday is available on Apple TV and Apple TV Amazon Channel. Availability changes often: the list on this page is the most recent we received.