Ryan Reynolds may have just splashed across headlines again this past weekend for his iconic role as Deadpool because he appeared in costume at San Diego Comic Con, but this Marvel star has a host of other projects currently in the works. Among his many upcoming movies—including, even, a rumored Pokémon Detective Pikachu sequel—is a new action movie titled Mayday, set to release in a little over a month on Apple TV+.
Mayday sees Reynolds in the role of Lieutenant Troy “Assassin” Kelly, a Cold War-era United States Navy pilot who crash lands in the Russian wilderness during a top-secret mission and must survive without being caught (and, ultimately, with the help of an unexpected ally). As part of that crash landing, Reynolds’ character undergoes an intense ejection sequence, which involves a staggering 200-foot drop. And, apparently, an on-screen feat this massive was groundbreaking enough that it actually required some brand-new tech.
This Stunning Practical Drop Sets The Bar High for Mayday
Speaking with ComicBook, directors and writers of Mayday John Francis Daley and Jonathan Goldstein explained, “It’s a one-shot, and we built a rig that never existed before that attached to Ryan that had three cameras as a camera array. So, it allowed us to tilt up and down without actually moving the camera, and that allowed us to not only shoot him with plates of, you know, the actual fall, but then our intrepid stuntman was dropped into that tree at the very end from 150 to 200 feet. So, we were able to capture all that in camera as well.”
If this level of dedication is any indication, then Mayday is absolutely going to be one to watch. In fact, even beyond the reveal that a unique rig was built just for this purpose, the decision to have this stunt done practically in the first place is really saying something. Of course, that may speak not only to the quality of the movie’s directors but also to the stellar cast. In addition to Reynolds, who has a long history of action movies even beyond his role as Deadpool, Mayday stars Kenneth Branagh, who is not only a celebrated actor but also an award-winning director.
Branagh actually has his own Marvel connection as well, as he directed the first Thor movie in 2011. Although that was the only MCU movie that he ultimately directed, it wouldn’t be a stretch to say that his take on Thor, Loki, and Asgard continued to inform the franchise going forward. With this star power in the cast and the clear dedication and attention to detail going into the action sequences, Mayday seems set up for success, and thankfully, viewers won’t have much longer to wait before it arrives. Mayday releases on September 4, exclusively on Apple TV+.