‘Masters of the Air’ first look: New WW2 drama from ‘Band of Brothers’ creators

The creative team behind Band of Brothers are back with a new period drama series!

Based on the book by Donald L. Miller, Masters of the Air is an action-packed drama following the true story of an American bomber group in the Second World War.

The nine-episode limited series for Apple TV+ reunites award-winning producers Steven Spielberg, Tom Hanks and Gary Goetzman, who previously made Band of Brothers and The Pacific together in 2001 and 2010.

A set of promotional photos for the brand new series have been released this week.

First announced back in 2019, the series has been penned by Band of Brothers writer John Orloff.

Alongside an impressive cast of American talent including Oscar-nominated Elvis star Austin Butler, Masters of the Air boasts a great line-up of British and Irish names.

Look out for Barry Keoghan from The Banshees of Inisherin, new Doctor Who star Ncuti Gatwa, and Fantastic Beasts actor Callum Turner.

Last Tango in Halifax fans will also recognise Edward Ashley and Josh Bolt, who played William and Raff in the hit BBC series.

Other familiar faces from this side of the pond include James Murray (The Crown), Sam Hazeldine (Peaky Blinders), Ben Radcliffe (Anatomy of a Scandal), Kieron Moore (Sex Education), Freddy Carter (Shadow and Bone), Laurie Davidson (The Last Kingdom), and Anthony Boyle (Harry Potter and the Cursed Child).

The cast also features British actors Stephen Campbell Moore (The History Boys), George Webster (Versailles), Tommy Jessop (Line of Duty), Dimitri Leonidas (Doctor Who), Kai Alexander (The Stranger), and model Rafferty Law.

When’s the release date?

The first two episodes of Masters of the Air will premiere globally on Apple’s streaming service Apple TV+ on Friday 26 January 2024.

A new ep will then follow weekly every Friday until 15 March 2024.

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.

With locations ranging from the villages of southeast England to the harsh deprivations of a German Prisoner of War Camp, we’re told that the show is “enormous in both scale and scope, and a genuine cinematic achievement.”

“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,” commented executive producer Gary Goetzman.

“Tom [Hanks] and Steven [Spielberg] have always wanted to visualize cinematically what our author Don Miller has called, this ‘singular event in the history of warfare’,” he added.

Band of Brothers and The Pacific are available on DVD on Amazon.