‘Mayday’ Directors Explain Soviet-Era Buddy Comedy

What happens when you cross a downed U.S. Navy pilot and an ex-KGB agent in the middle of the Cold War? Hilarity, it seems, in Mayday, a new action-comedy from John Francis Daley and Jonathan Goldstein for Apple TV.

The duo (known for their collaborations on pics like Horrible Bosses, Spider-Man: Homecoming, Game Night, and Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves) drew inspiration from buddy adventures of the era and another title that is decidedly not funny.

“It began with the notion of making a comedic version of Rob Reiner‘s film, Misery — but in this case, it’s Ryan Reynolds as a fighter pilot shot down over the Soviet Union during the Cold War who ends up in the care of Kenneth Branagh playing a former KGB agent with a penchant for all things American,” the pair teased to TV Insider. “From there, the movie becomes our take on those classic buddy action comedies of the 80’s and 90’s — Midnight Run, Planes, Trains & Automobiles, and so on.”

In the film, Reynolds stars as the embattled American caught in Soviet territory opposite Branagh as the quirky Russian spy who — since he is secretly an Americophile — decides to help.

Daly and Goldstein reflected on their choice of screen partners for the film, starting with Reynolds.

“We loved the idea of making Ryan the straight man of this film. While in America, his character is a bona fide hero as a Top Gun pilot brimming with confidence and charisma,” they teased. “But after being shot down in a wholly alien place (the Cold War-era Soviet Union), he is suddenly ill-equipped to deal with the dangers that are constantly thrown his way and relies entirely on Kenneth’s character’s KGB know-how. Obviously, Ryan is an extremely talented comedic performer, and his deftness in this area shines through in the film — straight-man or not.”

Apple TV

With Branagh, having him play against type as the eccentric sidekick with a comedic bent was exactly what they wanted. “Kenneth is one of the most versatile actors working today and is capable of inhabiting literally any role in any genre of film. It’s the fact that he is unexpected as an action star that made him appealing to us. But he delivers in a way that brings nuance and depth to a character that could easily be a ‘Russian’ trope.”

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Goldstein and Daly also aimed to make Mayday a blended genre experience for movie fans. “We set out to make a film that is difficult to categorize as it often sways from humor to life-and-death stakes to emotion, sometimes all in one scene. We’re excited for fans to see a large-scale original film that doesn’t rely on IP and utilizes both actors, Ryan and Kenneth, in a way that people haven’t necessarily seen before.”

Mayday, September 4, Apple TV