The directors of ‘Mayday’ want its stars to surprise you

Longtime creative collaborators John Francis Daley and Jonathan Goldstein like to play with audience expectations around what their films’ actors will bring to the table. Their partnership began with co-writing the screenplay for the audacious comedy 'Horrible Bosses' and progressed to co-directing the 2018 action comedy 'Game Night' and 2023’s 'Dungeons and Dragons: Honor Among Thieves.' Their latest project is the Apple TV film 'Mayday,' starring Ryan Reynolds as a stranded US Navy pilot in Russian territory and Kenneth Branagh as an ex-KGB agent who discovers him.

Daley and Goldstein discuss their collaborative writing process, why they like when actors known primarily for drama try their hand at comedy, and how the film has gotten positive reactions from audiences on both sides of the political aisle.