$208M Fantasy Movie Bomb Still Needs A Sequel After Ryan Reynolds' New Streaming Hit

Published Sep 17, 2026, 3:55 PM EDT Karlis has been obsessing over television and movie news since he first learned how to read. He has worked in tech, as a musician, and in journalism with a well-rounded knowledge base of pop-culture throughout the eras. He claims that he has memorized the entire Internet Movie Database, and to date no one has been able to refute this. Holding a Bachelor's Degree in Religion and Culture from Wilfrid Laurier University, Karlis loves to examine the intersections of popular science-fiction and culture. His latest novel MASS. is available now on Amazon and examines a world where obesity has become a federal crime. Mayday has emerged as a new streaming hit, having achieved an impressive level of success for Apple TV. Starring Ryan Reynolds and Kenneth Branagh, the new movie has been performing specularly on the streaming service, and faring well with critics and audiences too, as evidenced by its 83% score on Rotten Tomatoes. And it serves as an important reminder that another film - albeit one in a very different genre - is deserving of a second chance. Mayday is the latest film from directors John Francis Daley and Jonathan Goldstein. The Cold War-era setting of the streaming movie sees Ryan Reynolds as an American pilot shot down in Russia who is forced to team up with a Top Gun-loving Russian, played by Kenneth Branagh, in order to escape. It's an entertaining action comedy, and one that's proving to be a solid addition to Apple TV's film lineup. Hopefully, it's success will lead to more movies like it, but perhaps it will also bring more attention to the directors' previous collaborations, including a 2023 film that should have received a sequel. Mayday Is A Reminder Of How Great John Francis Daley & Jonathan Goldstein Are Mayday is smart, funny, and engaging. It uses Ryan Reynolds' charisma and Branagh's acting prowess effectively to tell a fantastic odd couple story with great humor, heart, and visuals. Mayday is already one of the best movies of 2026, and the action-comedy adeptly shows off great skill behind the camera. Daley and Goldstein have made several films, including the fantastic 2018 comedy Game Night. Still, their 2023 fantasy film that failed to break even in theaters, despite being adored, remains a consistent point of discussion. Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves Deserved So Much Better Daley and Goldstein directed Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves, which was released in 2023 and has since become one of the most adored fantasy films in recent memory. Balancing humor and action, the film did a fantastic job adapting the heart and stories of the Forgotten Realms. Honor Among Thieves took its world very seriously, but did not shy away from using humor to tell its story. Never veering into the realm of parody, this tone was incredibly effective in crafting an engaging and accessible world within a universe steeped in imagination and curiosity. 2023 was a perfect year for Dungeons & Dragons, and one that is unlikely to be repeated. The fantastic film, telling the story of Edgin Darvis and his motley crew of bandits, was released in March and was immediately beloved. Unfortunately, it failed to turn a profit, earning $205 million. As a relevant side note, the same year saw the release of Baldur's Gate 3 in August, which is now considered among the best video games ever made. Unfortunately, the developer's relationship wth Hasbro fell apart, and another game is also unlikely. With all of this in mind, the quality of these entries to the franchise was so strong that there are other factors to consider in the future of Dungeons & Dragons on the big screen. Could Honor Among Thieves 2 Actually Still Happen? Credit: MovieStillsDB Despite the film's failure, the Dungeons & Dragons brand has become increasingly popular in recent years. With updated rulesets for the tabletop game releasing in 2024, and an increased number of digital spaces to host the storytelling game becoming successful, D&D is near an all-time high. Honor Among Thieves has a sequel written, but the budgets of these epic films make them a difficult investment for Paramount Pictures, especially considering the costs associated with their ongoing Warner Bros. merger. Still, there is enough popularity in the D&D brand that a sequel could make sense. With that said, it is still very unlikely. Hasbro instead seems to be invested in making Dungeons & Dragons shows, with a Forgotten Realms series at Netflix and a Baldur's Gate show at HBO. In addition, Daley and Goldstein are still working with Paramount, but on another project. They are currently crafting a new era for Star Trek, which hopes to give the series new life on the big screen. It is certainly disappointing that the excellent fantasy film Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves never got a sequel, and Mayday makes it even more disappointing. Fortunately, there will still be more Dungeons & Dragons stories ahead, at least on the small screen. Release Date September 4, 2026 Runtime 110 minutes Director John Francis Daley, Jonathan Goldstein Writers Jonathan Goldstein, John Francis Daley Producers Ashley Fox, Dana Goldberg, David Ellison, Don Granger, John G. Scotti, Johnny Pariseau, Jonathan Goldstein, Patrick Gooing