When John Francis Daley and Jonathan Goldstein set out to make Mayday, they knew they were stepping into the shadow of a giant. Just a year earlier, Top Gun: Maverick had redefined aerial cinema, grossing over $1.3 billion and setting a new standard for realism by putting actors in actual fighter jets. The pair, best known for balancing high-octane action with sharp comedy in films like Game Night and Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves, faced a daunting challenge: how to make a Cold War-era buddy action-comedy feel authentic without the full backing of the U.S. Navy.
The answer came in the form of David Ellison, the head of Paramount-Skydance and an experienced pilot himself. Ellison, who produced Mayday, brought an obsessive attention to detail that Daley and Goldstein say was crucial. “He knew the world we were playing in very well,” Goldstein recalls. “We would get notes on very specific things that studio heads don’t normally weigh in on.” One of his key demands was accuracy regarding the “hard deck” – the minimum altitude pilots must maintain during maneuvers to avoid crashing into the ground. “David wanted to make sure we were always above the hard deck when we did these maneuvers,” Goldstein explains. It’s that kind of precision that helps ground a film that otherwise leans into the absurdity of its premise.
A Trailer That Misleads and Delights
The newly released trailer, crafted by AV Squad, opens with Ryan Reynolds’ character, Troy “Assassin” Kelly, crashing his plane behind enemy lines in Russia. Bleeding and disoriented, he is found by a former KGB officer named Nikolai Ustinov, played with a mixture of menace and hospitality by Kenneth Branagh. The initial tone is tense, almost horror-like, as Kelly wakes up in a strange bed to find Nikolai smiling over him. Daley and Goldstein intentionally constructed this sequence to subvert expectations. “The intention in the film and in the trailer was to give you a bit of a rug pull in terms of the genre and tone,” Daley explains. “At first, it could almost be the setup to a horror movie. We always talked about this as being kind of a spiritual cousin to Misery,” referencing the Stephen King novel where a fan holds a writer captive.
The trailer then takes a sharp turn. Nikolai, rather than being a captor, becomes Kelly’s ally, rescuing him from a group of thugs in a restaurant with surprising ferocity. It’s a moment that showcases Branagh’s physical commitment. The Shakespearean actor and director, known for his dramatic roles and adaptations, threw himself into the action wholeheartedly. Goldstein notes, “He would get to the set early and practice these stunts and fight moves very elaborately. We would get videos of him walking through and mumbling the moves to himself like a crazy person. And then you would see it on the day he really devoted himself to it.”
Stunt Work That Pays Homage to Jackie Chan
That fight scene is just one example of the film’s approach to action. Daley and Goldstein deliberately sought a raw, physical style reminiscent of Jackie Chan’s 1980s and 1990s films, where long takes allow audiences to appreciate the choreography without quick cuts or CGI masks. “It’s satisfying to be able to see what’s going on, but also all the more challenging, because you have these stunt guys really putting themselves through the wringer,” Daley says. “We don’t have the advantage of them being able to fall onto pads out of screen.” This commitment to practical stunts adds a level of authenticity to the buddy comedy dynamic, as Reynolds and Branagh navigate danger together.
Other highlights from the trailer include a dinner scene where a young boy with a deliberately terrible haircut creeps out Reynolds’ character. The directors had a strong vision for the child’s appearance, which proved harder to achieve than expected. “When you tell people who spend their lives giving people good haircuts to give them a bad haircut, it’s a real battle,” Goldstein says with a laugh. “You have to force them to do it wrong.” It’s a detail that underscores the film’s offbeat humor.
Behind the Scenes: Alternate Lines and Laughter
The trailer also features a moment where the duo falls down a snowy hill, and Reynolds delivers the line, “I don’t love Russia.” According to Daley, that line was actually an alternate take from the final cut of the film, but it worked perfectly for the trailer because it required less context. “It’s always a joy to be able to work with someone that can help to give you a plethora of options,” Daley notes, highlighting Reynolds’ improvisational skills. The actor, known for his deadpan wit and rapid-fire delivery, brought his trademark charm to the role while still grounding it in a genuine cold war setting.
The trailer ends with a scene that may become one of the most talked-about moments in the film: Reynolds and Branagh hiding in a closet as a Russian official meets with a sex worker. The directors recall this as one of their favorite experiences on set. “There were moments where [Branagh] was so close to Ryan that they were practically kissing each other,” Daley says. The script supervisor had to leave the room because she was worried she would laugh so hard she would ruin the take. It’s a testament to the chemistry between the two leads, which is central to the film’s appeal.
Mayday represents a blend of genres that Daley and Goldstein have mastered. From the high-stakes aerial combat to the intimate, almost parody-like interactions with the KGB, the film aims to deliver both thrill and laughter. The Cold War setting allows for a rich backdrop of tension and paranoia, but the directors ensure that the human connection between the two unlikely friends remains the heart of the story. As the September 4 release date on Apple TV+ approaches, the trailer has already generated buzz for its clever trailer edits, including a moment that visually echoes the “rug pull” by showing a romantic environment that quickly turns into a confrontation. Daley and Goldstein’s career has been defined by their ability to balance these tones, and Mayday looks to continue that tradition. With a budget that allowed for practical jets and a skilled cast, the directors have created a film that honors the classic buddy comedy while keeping the action taut and the jokes landing.
Source:The Hollywood Reporter News