Reyan Reynolds on the red carpet for SpiritedImage via Shutterstock
By
Chris McPherson
Published Feb 3, 2026, 8:00 PM EST
Chris is a Senior News Writer for Collider. He can be found in an IMAX screen, with his eyes watering and his ears bleeding for his own pleasure. He joined the news team in 2022 and accidentally fell upwards into a senior position despite his best efforts.
For reasons unknown, he enjoys analyzing box office receipts, giant sharks, and has become known as the go-to man for all things Bosch, Mission: Impossible and Christopher Nolan in Collider's news division. Recently, he found himself yeehawing along to the Dutton saga on the Yellowstone Ranch.
He is proficient in sarcasm, wit, Photoshop and working unfeasibly long hours. Amongst his passions sit the likes of the history of the Walt Disney Company, the construction of theme parks, steam trains and binge-watching Gilmore Girls with a coffee that is just hot enough to scald him.
His obsession with the Apple TV+ series Silo is the subject of mockery within the Senior News channel, where his feelings about Taylor Sheridan's work are enough to make his fellow writers roll their eyes.
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Apple TV just gave us our first glimpse at one of 2026’s biggest action movies. Mayday pairs Ryan Reynolds and Kenneth Branagh in a genre-bending buddy comedy that flips the spy thriller formula on its head. Reynolds plays U.S. Navy pilot Lieutenant Troy “Assassin” Kelly, whose top-secret Cold War mission into Russian territory goes spectacularly wrong. Stranded behind enemy lines, Troy is discovered by Nikolai Ustinov (Branagh), a gruff former KGB agent with an unexpected fondness for American culture. What starts as a capture scenario may turn into an unlikely alliance — and possibly a friendship neither man saw coming.
Alongside Reynolds and Branagh, the film features Maria Bakalova, Marcin Dorociński, and David Morse. Behind the camera, Mayday is written, directed, and produced by filmmaking duo John Francis Daley and Jonathan Goldstein, the team behind Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves. The project hails from Skydance Media, with Reynolds also serving as an executive producer through his Maximum Effort banner. Today, the streamer unveiled a first-look image for Mayday during its Apple TV Press Day and confirmed the globe-trotting spy adventure will premiere worldwide on September 4, 2026. You can check out the image below.
What Can We Expect From 'Mayday'?
Apple TV
Bakalova, who’s been popping up everywhere lately, previously told MovieWeb how much she enjoyed working on Mayday. Speaking about her experience on set, she said, “I've been lucky with the people that I got a chance to work with, not only because they're proven to be incredibly talented, gifted, and honestly great professionals, but they're really kind human beings." She went on to praise her co-stars, saying, “[Ryan] has been very supportive, open, and very funny. It's been like a gift to be on set. I played with him and Kenneth Branagh, who is like a British treasure. The fact that I got a chance to collaborate with both of them, it's been incredible. It's also an adventure action movie, and it's only my second one after Dirty Angels.”
The actress also admitted the film changed how she sees the genre. She explained:
“I promise I am really falling in love with this [action] genre, even though I didn't really know a lot about it before. Because I grew up with the idea about emotionally heavy, deep, dramatic performances… movies, specifically Scandinavian movies, Danish movies, and then I found myself in these big action hero adventure movies, and it's great.”
Mayday will premiere on September 4, 2026. Stay tuned at Collider for more.
Mayday
Like Not Yet Rated Action Adventure Director Jonathan Goldstein, John Francis Daley Writers Jonathan Goldstein, John Francis DaleyCast
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