Ryan Reynolds & Kenneth Branagh In Top Gun Form
Deadline • • entertainment
Key Points:
- David Ellison has pledged that Paramount and Warner Bros would release 30 movies annually each if the ParaBros merger occurs, but the new action comedy Mayday, produced by Skydance and Ellison, is only releasing on Apple TV, missing a theatrical opportunity.
- Mayday, directed by John Francis Daly and Jonathan Goldstein, is a Cold War buddy comedy inspired by Top Gun, featuring Ryan Reynolds as a U.S. Navy pilot and Kenneth Branagh as a disgruntled ex-KGB agent on a wild escape through Russia.
- The film combines high-scale action and comedy with strong chemistry between leads Reynolds and Branagh, who delivers a standout performance in a genre outside his usual repertoire.
- Despite top-tier production values and thrilling aerial sequences, Mayday’s exclusive streaming release contrasts with the theatrical approach taken by Apple TV on other collaborations like F1, leading to criticism of the distribution strategy.
- Supporting roles include Marcin Dorocinski as a persistent KGB operative, Maria Bakalova as the ex-KGB agent's daughter, and David Morse as Reynolds' character's father, rounding out a solid ensemble cast.
