Apple TV+ on Thursday unveiled the first images from its upcoming World War II drama, “Masters of the Air,” and announced that the 9-episode limited series will make its global debut exclusively on Apple TV+ on Friday, January 26, 2024.
Reuniting the award-winning team of Steven Spielberg, Tom Hanks and Gary Goetzman who also produced “Band of Brothers” and “The Pacific,” “Masters of the Air” is an action-packed drama that follows the true story of an American bomber group in World War II. The series will premiere with two episodes, followed by one new episode every Friday through March 15, 2024, only on Apple TV+.
The series is executive produced by Spielberg, Hanks and Goetzman, and features a stellar cast led by Academy Award nominee Austin Butler, Callum Turner, Anthony Boyle, Nate Mann, Rafferty Law, Academy Award nominee Barry Keoghan, Josiah Cross, Branden Cook, and Ncuti Gatwa.
“‘Masters of the Air’ is a salute to the brave men of the 8th Air Force, who, through their courage and brotherhood, helped defeat Nazi Germany in World War II,” said executive producer Gary Goetzman in a statement. “Tom and Steven have always wanted to visualize cinematically what our author Don Miller has called, this ‘singular event in the history of warfare.’ We’re thrilled that Apple TV+ has given us the opportunity to combine the efforts of so many talented people, on-screen and behind the camera, to tell this important story.”
Based on Donald L. Miller’s book of the same name, and scripted by John Orloff, “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.
Ranging in location from the bucolic fields and villages of southeast England, to the harsh deprivations of a German prisoner-of-war camp, and depicting a unique and crucial time in world history, “Masters of the Air” is enormous in both scale and scope, and a genuine cinematic achievement.
Hailing from Apple Studios, “Masters of the Air” is executive produced by Spielberg through Amblin Television, and Hanks and Goetzman for Playtone. Amblin Television’s Darryl Frank and Justin Falvey co-executive produce alongside Playtone’s Steven Shareshian. In addition to writing, Orloff co-executive produces. Graham Yost also serves as co-executive producer.
Apple TV+ offers premium, compelling drama and comedy series, feature films, groundbreaking documentaries, and kids and family entertainment, and is available to watch across all your favorite screens. After its launch on November 1, 2019, Apple TV+ became the first all-original streaming service to launch around the world, and has premiered more original hits and received more award recognitions faster than any other streaming service in its debut. To date, Apple Original films, documentaries and series have been honored with 378 wins and 1,573 award nominations and counting, including multi-Emmy Award-winning comedy “Ted Lasso” and historic Oscar Best Picture winner “CODA.”
Apple TV+ is available on the Apple TV app in over 100 countries and regions, on over 1 billion screens, including iPhone, iPad, Apple TV, Mac, popular smart TVs from Samsung, LG, Sony, VIZIO, TCL and others, Roku and Amazon Fire TV devices, Chromecast with Google TV, PlayStation and Xbox gaming consoles, and at tv.apple.com, for $6.99 per month. For a limited time, customers who purchase and activate a new iPhone, iPad, Apple TV, Mac or iPod touch can enjoy three months of Apple TV+ for free.
MacDailyNews Take: “Masters of the Air” will be an unprecedented success for Apple TV+.
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Sounds interesting.
Did Apple force Steven to sneak in some (historically accurate) LGBTQ2s+ characters?
No, Sam, but it’s probably better if you would sell your AppleTV just to be safe.
Hopefully, this will be well done. It is a very interesting subject. I became interested in American bomber groups after seeing the movie 12 O’clock High. The plane of the period was the B17 Flying Fortress. It had a 10 man crew including pilot, copilot, radio engineer, navigator, gunners and the bombardier. When the plane would reach its target the pilot would hand control over to the bombardier in the back with the bombs. He’d say something like, “it’s your plane.”
Each member of a B17 crew had to complete 25 missions. 25 missions was considered a tour of duty. A plane also had to complete 25 missions. I believe I read that only 2 planes completed 25 missions, By 1944, the number was raised to 30 missions and later to 35 missions.
IT IS ESTIMATED THAT ABOUT 1 IN 4 CREWS completed their number of missions.
Needless to say the crews were under extreme stress and every time they went out it had to wear on them greatly. Would this be the last run or not?
In order to increase accuracy they were running their missions during the day making them a turkey shoot for the ground guns and Nazi fighter planes that came after them. The flying fortress had a bunch (10 I think) .50 calibre machine guns on board. Daylight missions.
Many of the French people hated them for bombing occupied France.
I get verklempt just thinking about them now.
For your enjoyment… 12’Oclock High the movie.
They also had a television show during the 60s.
No better ‘mini series’ than 12 O’clock High, but especially with Robert Lasing before the studio decided to kill him off for a ‘younger’ actor, who happen to be in this very episode. Nice posting.