REYKJAVIK — The Brink of War, a film directed by Michael Russell Gunn, was released on August 14, 2026. The production dramatizes the 1986 Reykjavik Summit using declassified transcripts and original photographic material.

Jeff Daniels portrays Ronald Reagan in The Brink of War, while Jared Harris portrays Mikhail Gorbachev. J.K. Simmons portrays Secretary of State George Shultz in the film. Michael Russell Gunn developed the concept for The Brink of War after meeting with George Shultz, and the film is dedicated to him.

Gunn obtained declassified transcripts of the Reykjavik Summit meetings to inform the production. The script for The Brink of War includes dialogue taken directly from the declassified transcripts of the Reykjavik Summit. Gunn also consulted the books Dutch: A Memoir of Reagan by Edmund Morris and Gorbachev by William Taubman for research. He obtained original photographic proofs from the Reykjavik Summit from the National Security Archives.

Pete Souza served as the Presidential photographer for Reagan and worked as a still photographer on the set of The Brink of War. Before two leaders like that have a summit meeting, there's lots of prep work that goes into it, according to Pete Souza. My main takeaway of President Reagan behind the scenes was he had such an even keeled disposition, Souza said.

The Reykjavik Summit between U.S. President Reagan and Soviet Union President Gorbachev took place on October 11 and 12, 1986. The meeting was held in Reykjavik, Iceland. The purpose of the Reykjavik Summit was to discuss arms controls between the United States and the Soviet Union.

Reagan and Gorbachev engaged in discussions for approximately 30 hours during the Reykjavik Summit. No agreement was reached at the conclusion of the Reykjavik Summit.

Gorbachev proposed eliminating multiple classes of nuclear weapons during the Reykjavik Summit. He demanded an end to the Strategic Defense Initiative (SDI) as a condition for eliminating nuclear weapons. The Strategic Defense Initiative (SDI) was nicknamed \"Star Wars.\" Gorbachev wanted the research and testing of the Strategic Defense Initiative (SDI) to be confined to laboratories, a premise Reagan rejected. George Shultz described military officers holding nuclear footballs outside the meeting room during the Reykjavik Summit.

The Brink of War includes scenes depicting the tense negotiations between Reagan and Gorbachev over the future of nuclear arsenals. The film highlights how close the two leaders came to agreeing on the elimination of all nuclear weapons, a proposal that ultimately unraveled over disagreements about SDI. Archival audio recordings were used alongside the transcripts to ensure the accuracy of tone and pacing in the dialogue. The production team worked with historians from the Cold War Studies Center at the London School of Economics to verify the historical context of each scene. Cinematographer Robert Richardson collaborated with Gunn to create a visual style that mirrors the stark, minimalist architecture of Reykjavik, enhancing the film’s sense of political isolation. The Brink of War premiered at the Harpa Concert Hall in Reykjavik, the same city where the historic summit took place. Attendance at the premiere included descendants of key summit participants and former Cold War diplomats. The film will be distributed globally through a partnership with the Public Broadcasting Service and the British Broadcasting Corporation. Educational screenings are planned for high schools and universities as part of a curriculum initiative on 20th-century diplomacy.