Gear up for a potentially impressive nine-episode journey back to World War II here. Apple TV+ has unveiled the official trailer for Masters of the Air, with Oscar nominees Austin Butler (Elvis) and Barry Keoghan (The Banshees of Inisherin) taking flight as bomber pilots battling Nazi Germany.
The series is executive produced by the dynamic trio of Steven Spielberg, Tom Hanks, and Gary Goetzman, who brought us Band of Brothers and The Pacific, with four episodes directed by No Time to Die and True Detective season 1 helmer Cary Fukunaga. Hanks certainly has first-hand knowledge of Butler’s acting prowess, having acted opposite him in Baz Lurhmann’s Elvis.
The series was penned by John Orloff, who served as a writer on Band of Brothers and whose credits include Michael Winterbottom’s A Mighty Heart and Zack Snyder’s Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga’Hoole.
Adapted from Donald L. Miller’s acclaimed nonfiction book, Masters of the Air: America’s Bomber Boys Who Fought the War Against Nazi Germany, the series delves into the lives of airmen risking it all as members of the 100th Bomb Group.
Apart from Butler and Keoghan, the large cast includes Callum Turner, Anthony Boyle, Nate Mann, Raff Law, Josiah Cross, and Branden Cook, among others.
The trailer certainly looks expensive – and with good reason: the series reportedly cost over $US200 million to produce. Apple will no doubt be hoping this big series does for them what Band of Brothers did for HBO.
Masters of the Air takes off on Apple TV+ on January 26, 2024, releasing two episodes initially and following up with weekly drops until the epic season finale on March 15th.
