With "Masters of the Air", a spectacular world war epic is coming to Apple TV+ on 26 January 2024. The mini-series "Masters of the Air" starts on Apple TV+ on 26 January. The nine-part war drama is already eagerly awaited, as it comes from an award-winning team of producers known for engaging, visually stunning epics and has a promising cast including Austin Butler and Barry Keoghan.
What is the miniseries about?
Based on Donald L. Miller's book of the same name, the Apple TV Plus original follows US Air Force soldiers (including Austin Butler) on their risky bombing raids on Nazi Germany, where they have to contend with icy conditions, a lack of oxygen and the sheer terror of war at an altitude of almost 8,000 metres. The efforts of these men, in particular the "Bloody Hundredth" unit, played a key role in defeating the Nazis in the Second World War and thus ending the Third Reich.
This is why expectations for the series are so high:
Behind the nine-part miniseries are producers Steven Spielberg, Tom Hanks and Gary Goetzman as well as screenwriter John Orloff, the same award-winning team that was responsible for the war dramas "Band of Brothers" and "The Pacific"; these deal with the American involvement in the Pacific War and, according to critics, are among the great milestones of modern television. Critics praise above all the haunting and intimate portrayal of the war experience from an American perspective, which is only intensified by the captivating characters - the viewer fears for every man.
And "Masters of the Air" also looks set to be more than just an action-packed and visually stunning epic; according to initial information from Apple TV+, it will focus primarily on the psychological and emotional price these young men had to pay for their service. Only a few of them were lucky enough to survive the war.
With "Elvis" star Austin Butler, Callum Turner ("Fantastic Beasts") and Barry Keoghan (e.g. "Saltburn", "Dunkirk", "The Banshees of Inisherin"), three major acting talents of recent years can also be seen in leading roles. They are joined by a cast of little-known young stars. Jude Law's son Rafferty Law is also in the film.
The following four B-17s from the 100th Bomb Group "Bloody Hundredth" made an emergency landing or crashed in Switzerland:
B-17 F-85-BO, Serail No. 42-30080, Code EP-F, Nickname: Hig Life, 17.08.1943, Dübendorf
B-17 F-85-BO, Serail No. 42-30057, Marking EP-D, nickname: Raunchy, 06.09.1943, Lake Constance
B-17 G-I-BO, Serail No. 42-31074, Marking LN-Q, nickname: Cahepit, 13.07.1944, Emmen.
B-17 G-34-DL, Serail No. 42-107137, Marking XR-O, nickname: ?, 13.07.1944, Payerne.
