Ryan Reynolds' Mega-Budget Cold War Thriller Is Skipping Theaters Entirely, Report Says

Ryan Reynolds has a big Cold War survival comedy called Mayday that has been finished for a while and quietly sitting on the bench. Now it finally has movement — but not the kind theatrical folks were hoping for.

The release plan

Puck says the movie is skipping theaters and heading straight to Apple TV+, with a likely September debut. The exact date is not public yet, but:

"A release date will be announced soon."

That streaming-only route is a little surprising given Apple has been flexing more in theaters lately with event-style plays like F1. But here we are.

So what is Mayday?

It is a comedic survival movie set during the Cold War — very much in Reynolds territory where action and jokes share the wheel. He is rumored to be playing a pilot who crash-lands behind the Iron Curtain and has to stay off the radar while surviving the Russian wilderness. Kenneth Branagh co-stars.

Who made it

Jonathan Goldstein and John Francis Daley wrote and directed the film, based on their original pitch. Apple Original Films and Skydance announced the project back in June 2023. Producers include Reynolds, Goldstein, Daley, David Ellison, Dana Goldberg, Don Granger, Johnny Pariseau, and Patrick Gooing, with Skydance executive Carin Sage overseeing.

The long pause

Despite wrapping in 2024, the movie has been on the shelf for over a year. Goldstein even posted on June 5, 2024 that it was done, dropping a one-word update on X: "Wrapped!" Then... silence, until now. Classic studio shuffle.

What Reynolds has been up to

Most of 2025, he was busy championing John Candy: I Like Me, a documentary he produced about the legendary comedian, directed by Colin Hanks.

What is next for him

Animal Friends, a live-action animated comedy for Warner Bros., hits theaters on June 5, 2026. And yes, Marvel watchers are already speculating: Reynolds could pop back in as Wade Wilson for Avengers: Doomsday on December 18, 2026. If that does not happen, the next obvious landing spot would be Avengers: Secret Wars on December 17, 2027. That part is rumor until someone at Marvel actually says it out loud.

• June 2023: Apple Original Films and Skydance announce Mayday, starring Ryan Reynolds and Kenneth Branagh, written and directed by Jonathan Goldstein and John Francis Daley.
• June 5, 2024: Goldstein posts that production has wrapped.
• Over a year of waiting: Film sits finished while release plan gets sorted.
• Now: Per Puck, Mayday will bypass theaters and debut on Apple TV+, likely in September, with a release date to be announced soon.
• 2025: Reynolds promotes his produced doc John Candy: I Like Me (directed by Colin Hanks).
• June 5, 2026: Reynolds returns to theaters with Animal Friends at Warner Bros.
• December 18, 2026: Possible Wade Wilson return in Avengers: Doomsday (speculation).
• December 17, 2027: Backup possibility for a Deadpool appearance in Avengers: Secret Wars (also speculation).