Masters of the Air: First Look at Steven Spielberg and Tom Hanks World War II Drama

Masters of the Air is an action-packed drama that follows the true story of an American bomber group in World War II.

October 5, 2023, 4:00pm

The “Bloody Hundredth” fly again in Masters of the Air. Apple TV+ Thursday revealed the first look at the highly anticipated, action-packed limited series from executive producers Steven Spielberg, Tom Hanks, and Gary Goetzman (HBO’s Band of Brothers and The Pacific). The series — which stars Oscar nominee Austin Butler (Elvis), Callum Turner (The Capture), Anthony Boyle (Tetris), Nate Mann (Licorice Pizza) and Oscar nominee Barry Keoghan (The Banshees of Inisherin) — also received a global premiere date: Friday, January 26th, 2024. The nine-episode limited series will premiere on Apple TV+ with two episodes, followed by one new episode every Friday through March 15th.

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Based on Donald L. Miller’s book of the same name and written byJohn Orloff (Band of Brothers), Masters of the Air follows the men of the 100th BombGroup (the “Bloody Hundredth”) as they conduct perilous bombing raidsover Nazi Germany and grapple with the frigid conditions, lack of oxygenand sheer terror of combat conducted at 25,000 feet in the air.Portraying the psychological and emotional price paid by these young menas they helped destroy the horror of Hitler’s Third Reich is at theheart of Masters of the Air. Some were shot down and captured; somewere wounded or killed. And some were lucky enough to make it home.Regardless of individual fate, a toll was exacted on them all.

“Masters of the Air is a salute to the brave men of the 8th AirForce, who, through their courage and brotherhood, helped defeat NaziGermany in World War II,” said Goetzman. “Tomand Steven have always wanted to visualize cinematically what our authorDon Miller has called, this ‘singular event in the history of warfare.’We’re thrilled that Apple TV+ has given us the opportunity to combinethe efforts of so many talented people, on-screen and behind the camera,to tell this important story.”

Ranging in location from the bucolic fields and villages of southeastEngland, to the harsh deprivations of a German prisoner-of-war camp,and depicting a unique and crucial time in world history, Masters ofthe Air is enormous in both scale and scope, and a genuine cinematicachievement, according to Apple Studios.

Spielberg serves as executive producer for Amblin Television (Halo), and Hanks and Goetzman for Playtone (Band of Brothers). Amblin Television’s Darryl Frank and Justin Falveyco-executive produce alongside Playtone’s Steven Shareshian, with Orloff also serving as co-executive producer with Graham Yost (Justified). Directors of the series are Cary Joji Fukunaga (True Detective), Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck (Captain Marvel), Dee Rees (Mudbound), and Tim Van Patten (Boardwalk Empire).

See the just-revealed images below.