'Masters Of The Air' Season 1: Release Date, Trailer, More

Fans of Band Of Brothers, step up and get ready to take flight with Steven Spielberg and Tom Hanks’ followup to the beloved 2001 HBO series. Mind you, Masters Of The Air isn’t the first followup in this realm. The Pacific arrived in 2010 as an HBO limited series that focused on the U.S. Marine Corps within the Pacific War, and now, it’s time for our guys from the U.S. Army Air Forces to take viewers through a dazzling Apple TV+ limited series from Spielberg’s Amblin Television along with Hanks and Gary Goetzman’s Playtone.

Viewers can expect to witness aerial flight combat galore (Tom Cruise will definitely be watching), and of course, impeccable production values. When this series was first announced in 2019, the projected budget was reported to be in the $200 million range. It’s probably safe to assume that the budget actually ended up being much higher for 8 episodes, especially considering the effects of inflation and all the chaos that Hollywood has endured in recent years.

This series also arrives with pedigreed directors — including Cary Joji Fukunaga (It, No Time To Die, Maniac), Tim Van Patten (The Pacific, Game Of Thrones, Deadwood), and Dee Rees (Mudbound), along with Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck (Captain Marvel) — taking their turns at the controls. Now, let’s talk more about what to expect from this series.

Plot

Masters Of The Air will be a dramatized version of a real story that is based upon Donald L. Miller’s book, Masters of the Air: America’s Bomber Boys Who Fought the Air War Against Nazi Germany. 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.

Expect a deep dive into the “Bloody Hundredth,” i.e. the 100th Bomb Group, who risked everything they had — body, mind, and emotions — to conduct bombing raids upon Nazi Germany. Apple TV+ has been calling the series “a true story of brotherhood and American airmen in WWII Europe,” including moments of anguish in addition to victories. That is to say, not every character who makes it onscreen is destined to get out alive, and that’s obviously to be expected while carrying out combat missions at 25,000 feet high.

The Bloody Hundredth’s efforts poured fuel on the ongoing goals of taking down Hitler’s Third Reich, and in the process, grievous injury and even capture awaited some who did battle in the skies. 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

Oscar nom Austin Butler (Elvis, Once Upon A Time In Hollywood), BAFTA winner/Oscar nominee Barry Keoghan (The Banshees Of Inisherin, The Batman), and Callum Turner (Fantastic Beasts) stand out among the ensemble.

Butler portrays Major Gale Clevin, who leads his underlings on peril-filled aerial bombardments and was, at one point, taken as a POW. Turner steps into equal rank as Major John Egan, and Keoghan portrays Lt. Curtis Biddick. Other cast members include Anthony Boyle, Rafferty Law, Josiah Cross, Branden Cook, Ncuti Gatwa, and Nate Mann.

Hopefully, Butler managed to drop that Elvis voice that he couldn’t seem to kick for awhile. Stay tuned on that note.