Spielberg and Hanks bring death from above in WWII drama Masters of the Air on Apple TV+

Apple TV+ provided a first look Thursday at upcoming World War II drama series Masters of the Air, from the team behind the acclaimed wartime series Band of Brothers and The Pacific. That would be Steven Spielberg, Tom Hanks and Gary Goetzman.

So the gritty and realistic WWII action continues, and that’s OK by me. The new nine-episode series follows the harrowing missions of an 8th U.S. Army Air Force bomber group as it helped defeat Nazi Germany.

First look at WWII drama Masters of the Air, coming to Apple TV+ January 6

Now that Apple TV+ has dropped the first images from the new WWII drama Masters of the Air, you can bet an action-packed trailer is coming soon. And you can watch the series on Apple TV+ starting January 26 with two episodes, followed by a new one on Fridays through March 15, 2024.

Adapted from Donald L. Miller’s book

The award-winning team of Spielberg, Hanks and Goetzman produced the series, based on the 2006 book, Masters of the Air: How the Bomber Boys Broke Down the War Machine, by Donald L. Miller. They also produced Band of Brothers, which followed American paratroopers from D-Day through Hitler’s defeat, and The Pacific, which traced the steps of U.S. Marines during some of the war’s bloodiest action on Pacific islands up until Japan’s surrender.

Critics lauded those series for humanizing the real men depicted — without too much hero worship and with attention paid to more than just combat — while realistically showing many of the horrors of war. Perhaps Masters of the Air will do the same for the B-17 bomber crews who flew from England right into the teeth of the Luftwaffe.

‘Singular event in the history of warfare’

“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.

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

A psychological and emotional price paid

Here’s Apple’s description of the series:

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.

The series … 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.

Spielberg executive produced the show from Apple Studios through Amblin Television while Hanks and Goetzman did so through Playtone. Amblin Television’s Darryl Frank and Justin Falvey co-executive produced with Playtone’s Steven Shareshian. Writer Orloff and Graham Yost also co-executive produced.

Watch it on Apple TV+

Apple TV+ is available by subscription for $6.99 with a seven-day free trial. You can also get it via any tier of the Apple One subscription bundle. 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.

After first airing in November 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. To date, Apple Original films, documentaries and series have been honored with 299 wins and 1,451 award nominations and counting,” the service said.

In addition to award-winning movies and TV shows (including breakout soccer comedy Ted Lasso), Apple TV+ offers a variety of documentaries, dramas, comedies, kids shows and more.

Source: Apple TV+