At Apple TV’s Press Day, the streamer announced dates for two Skydance Media-backed features and unveiled first-look imagery for each: “Mayday” set to premiere globally on September 4, 2026, followed by “Matchbox The Movie” on October 9, 2026. The former pairs Ryan Reynolds with Kenneth Branagh in a Cold War-set buddy-spy caper; the latter adapts the Mattel toy line as a globe-hopping action adventure led by John Cena and Jessica Biel.
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“Mayday,” previously announced as an Apple Original Films project with Reynolds and Branagh attached, is written and directed by John Francis Daley and Jonathan Goldstein, the duo behind “Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves.” In the film, Reynolds plays hotshot U.S. Navy pilot Lieutenant Troy “Assassin” Kelly, whose top-secret mission into Russian territory collapses at the height of the Cold War, leaving him stranded behind enemy lines. He’s discovered by Nikolai Ustinov (Branagh), a gruff ex-KGB agent with a soft spot for American culture—setting up an uneasy alliance that could get Troy home, and forge a bond neither of them expects.
The ensemble supporting cast includes Marcin Dorociński, Maria Bakalova, and David Morse. On the producing side, the film is billed as an Apple Original Film from Skydance, with producers David Ellison, Dana Goldberg, and Don Granger aboard, alongside Maximum Effort’s Ashley Fox and Johnny Pariseau. Reynolds and George Dewey are also credited as executive producers through Maximum Effort, along with John G. Scotti.
A month later, Apple turns to a toys-and-travel spectacle with “Matchbox The Movie,” inspired by the iconic Mattel brand and directed by Sam Hargrave, known for the Netflix action series “Extraction.” The film was previously set up as a live-action feature from Apple, Skydance, and Mattel’s film arm, with Cena attached to star. The premise here revolves around a tight-knit group of childhood friends whose lives get jolted when Sean (Cena)—an undercover CIA agent and their long-absent former leader—returns to their small town and, almost casually, drags them into a frantic international pursuit with world-saving stakes.
Beyond Cena and Biel, the cast includes Sam Richardson, Teyonah Parris, and Arturo Castro, with additional ensemble members including Corey Stoll, Bill Camp, Danai Gurira, and Golshifteh Farahani, among others. The film is written byDavid Coggeshall, with Hargrave also serving as an executive producer. Producers again include Ellison, Goldberg, and Granger for Skydance, plus Mattel Films’ Robbie Brenner, Ynon Kreiz, and Jules Daly. Patrick Newall and Elizabeth Bassin are credited as executive producers.
If the dates hold, Apple’s fall 2026 slate gets a clean one-two punch: a Cold War buddy-thriller-comedy that leans on star chemistry first, then a toy-brand action adventure designed for big set pieces and an ensemble hangout energy—both carrying the Skydance stamp, and both now locked to Friday global premieres. Check out the first look images below.
