Despite its setting in Soviet Russia during the Cold War, Ryan Reynolds's new Apple TV+ film 'Mayday' was primarily filmed in Montreal, Canada, and the surrounding areas, with additional sequences shot in Budapest, Hungary. The film, which began streaming recently, stars Reynolds as Troy, a U.S. Navy pilot who crash-lands behind enemy lines in 1987.
The production aimed for authenticity in recreating the era and locations. Production designer Nora Takacs Ekberg, who grew up in Hungary during the Soviet era, worked with researchers specializing in 1980s Moscow and sourced materials from Eastern Europe. Approximately 500 locations were scouted, with 10 selected, and sets were built when necessary, including a two-story set for a scene in an apartment building.
In Montreal, the production team recreated a replica of San Diego's Gaslamp Quarter for a scene where Troy visits a bar with a Navy buddy. Exterior scenes depicting Troy and his Russian carpenter acquaintance, Nikolai Ustinov (played by Kenneth Branagh), traversing the Russian wilderness were also filmed in Canada.
The film's climactic action sequence, set in Moscow where Troy and Nick hijack a tank carrying a nuclear bomb, was shot in Budapest's Heroes' Square, transformed to resemble Moscow's Red Square during a May Day parade. This scene reportedly involved over a thousand extras and numerous military vehicles. Cinematographer Barry Peterson noted the realism of the Budapest filming, stating that the camera could capture authentic reactions to on-set elements like a missile launcher.
Further filming in Hungary occurred in Dunaujvaros, on Vasmű Road and the Lower Danube promenade, for a military tank car chase sequence. Locations in Salgotarjan, Hungary, including Rakoczi Road, Pecskő Road, Marcius 15 Street, Erzsebet Square, and Fő Square, were also used.
Aerial footage for 'Mayday' combined visual effects with real aerial background footage shot in southern France. To achieve a high level of realism for aerial sequences, VFX supervisor James E. Price explained that the team shot aerial backgrounds and projected them onto an LED volume stage. A simulated FA/1 plane and a simulated Lockheed SR-71 Blackbird were constructed, with a camera-equipped cockpit built from scratch for the SR-71. Aviation effects supervisor Doug Scroggins managed the creation of these elements, utilizing an actual SR-17 canopy and nosecone for the Blackbird model.