‘Masters Of The Air’ Season 1 Info Update (November 2023)

Steven Spielberg and Tom Hanks haven’t had enough of each other or enough of bringing Band Of Brothers-related subject matter to the screen. As a result, they followed up the 2001 HBO series with 2010’s The Pacific. Fast forward to 2023, and the pair will focus upon the U.S. Army Air Forces to take flight with Masters Of The Air, which will stream on Apple TV+ and hails from Spielberg’s Amblin Television along with Hanks and Gary Goetzman’s Playtone.

The dynamic screen duo has enlisted several highly capable directors for this project: Cary Joji Fukunaga (It, No Time To Die, Maniac), Tim Van Patten (The Pacific, Deadwood, Game Of Thrones), and Dee Rees (Mudbound). As well, Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck (Captain Marvel) took a spin at the helm. This will be a fairly large-budgeted series, and way back in 2019, the estimate stood at $200 million. Surely, that number has grown in recent years because inflation is hitting every industry. Additionally, those aerial flight combat scenes can’t be cheap.

Let’s talk about what else viewers can expect from this sky-high series.

Plot

Masters Of The Air will adapt Donald L. Miller’s book, Masters of the Air: America’s Bomber Boys Who Fought the Air War Against Nazi Germany, which is (yes) a true story. Miller’s book was adapted into a story by John Orloff (Band Of Brothers) and John Shiban (Breaking Bad, The X-Files) with Orloff doing screenplay honors.

With approximately eight hours of runtime, the Apple TV+ series will take an extended dive into the “Bloody Hundredth,” i.e. the 100th Bomb Group, who risked everything they had — body, mind, and emotions — to target Nazi Germany with bombing raids. The Bloody Hundredth’s efforts did help to take down Hitler’s Third Reich, although injury and even capture awaited some who did battle in the skies. The tech giant and streamer has been describing the series as “a true story of brotherhood and American airmen in WWII Europe.” That means that with the highs will come lows, and not every character is destined to get out alive, which is sadly to be expected while carrying out combat missions at 25,000 feet high.

Shooting locations include southeast England villages and a German POW camp, along with bucolic fields, and at some point, as the trailer reveals, there will be a shirtless Austin Butler. Clearly, there will be a lot of moods happening in this production.

Here’s more from Apple TV+’s description.

Masters of the Air” follows the men of the 100th Bomb Group (the “Bloody Hundredth”) as they conduct perilous bombing raids over Nazi Germany and grapple with the frigid conditions, lack of oxygen and sheer terror of combat conducted at 25,000 feet in the air. Portraying the psychological and emotional price paid by these young men as they helped destroy the horror of Hitler’s Third Reich, is at the heart of “Masters of the Air.” Some were shot down and captured; some were wounded or killed. And some were lucky enough to make it home. Regardless of individual fate, a toll was exacted on them all.

Cast

Did Austin Butler manage to drop his Elvis voice that he kept around arguably longer than necessary? We are going to find out. As well, BAFTA winner/Oscar nominee Barry Keoghan, and Callum Turner stand out among the ensemble.

Butler will run the full spectrum of emotions as Major Gale Clevin, who leads a constant smattering of peril-filled aerial bombardments and was, at one point, taken as a POW. On that note, Turner steps into equal rank as Major John Egan, and Keoghan portrays Lt. Curtis Biddick. Cast members including Branden Cook, Ncuti Gatwa, Nate Mann, Anthony Boyle, Rafferty Law, and Josiah Cross will continue to make this series soar.

Release Date

The show takes flight on January 26, 2024 with two episodes. Weekly new episodes will follow through March 15. followed by new episodes on Fridays through March 15, 2024.