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Ryan Reynolds and Kenneth Branagh lead "genre-bending" Cold War action comedy film in new first look

The action-comedy is coming out later this year...

Ryan Reynolds as Troy Kelly in Mayday, looking angry.

Apple/ YouTube

Published: Tuesday, 14 July 2026 at 3:33 pm

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Apple has given fans a first look at Ryan Reynolds and Kenneth Branagh's unlikely alliance in Mayday.

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The Cold War-era film, which has been described as "a genre-bending, action-packed buddy comedy that flips the spy thriller on its head", is set to be released for streaming on 4 September 2026.

The trailer opens with US Navy pilot Lieutenant Troy Kelly (Reynolds) being held hostage by Nikolai Ustinov (Branagh) after he crashes his plane into Russian territory during the height of the Cold War.

Ustinov then tells him that he has patched-up an artery in his leg without proper anaesthesia, before the pair begin to bond over Ustinov’s love of America. As their bond grows and Kelly gains his strength back, Ustinov goes on to help the fugitive American to escape from behind enemy lines.

Ustinov looking at Troy in the trailer for Mayday.

Kenneth Branagh as Nikolai Ustinov in Mayday. Apple/ YouTube

The film is being directed by Jonathan Goldstein & John Francis Daley, who also co-wrote the script for Spider-Man: Homecoming.

The pair said of the movie in a statement: "The buddy films of the 1980’s were a bizarre and enticing blend of humour, danger and genuine heart."

They continued: "Mayday is our ode to this genre, with the unlikely pairing of Ryan Reynolds and Sir Kenneth Branagh in a Cold War adventure that explores what it means to be patriotic, but ultimately what it means to be human."

Alongside Reynolds and Kenneth Branagh, the film also stars the likes of Marcin Dorocinski, Maria Bakalova and David Morse.

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The official plot synopsis reads: "When hot shot U.S. Navy pilot Lieutenant Troy 'Assassin' Kelly (Reynolds) is sent on a top-secret mission into Russian territory at the height of the Cold War, the operation implodes, leaving him stranded behind enemy lines."

It continues: "Discovered by Nikolai Ustinov (Branagh), a gruff ex-KGB agent with a penchant for American culture, Troy thinks he’s toast - but could an unlikely alliance between the two lead to Troy’s rescue, and a bond neither saw coming?"

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Authors

RadioTimes.com senior trends writer Molly Moss. She is sitting outside wearing a black top, holding a white teacup with a smily face on it to her mouth

Molly MossTrends Writer

Molly Moss is a Trends Writer for Radio Times, covering the latest trends across TV, film and more. She has an MA in Newspaper Journalism and has previously written for publications including The Guardian, The Times and The Sun Online.

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