Masters of the Air: Everything you need to know about the Band of Brothers follow-up

Masters of the Air is purported to be the next instalment in the Band of Brothers franchise alongside The Pacific. If you've been waiting for more high-octane action in the fight against the Nazis then you'll want to keep an eye out for this one. 

Filming apparently began in April 2021 and the series is planned to release at some point in 2022, so here's everything we know so far. 

What is Masters of the Air?

Masters of the Air is a nine-part mini-series that, like Band of Brothers is being produced by Steven Spielberg and Tom Hanks among others. 

It's a yet-to-be-dated series that's being made for Apple TV+. The show is being adapted from Donald L. Miller's book "Masters of the Air: America's Bomber Boys Who Fought the Air War Against Nazi Germany".

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That work is a re-telling of the actions of the US Army's Eighth Air Force, the American bomber force that took the fight to Nazi Germany at great personal cost. Those American crewmen suffered more casualties during the war than the entire US Marine Corps, so you can imagine that the story will be harrowing and action-packed. 

A lot of the story is set to take place in England and some of the work has resulted in massive expenditure to re-create a US Airforce base in Buckinghamshire (as spotted by the Daily Mail). 

A lot of work has gone into setting the stage for the show and there are some fantastic photos of WWII Nissen huts popping up and behind-the-scenes views of B-17s being used in the show. 

The written re-telling of the Eighth Air Force's story details life in wartime England as well as tales from German prisoner of war camps and the hardships the bomber crews had to face. We're expecting to see some of these moving stories being wonderfully retold during the TV series too. 

Who stars in Masters of the Air? 

Masters of the Air has a long cast list headed up by Austin Butler (of Elvis biopic fame) who plays Major Gale Cleven. A man who was already in the thick of the action by June 1943. History says that his B-17 was shot down in October 1943, so we can expect some interesting highlights for the lead. 

Other case members include Barry Keoghan playing Lt. Curtis Biddick. Keoghan has already had a stint in a WWII film recently as he played George in 2017's Dunkirk. 

Sawyer Spielberg, Steven Spielberg's son also makes an appearance playing Lt. Roy Frank Claytor. While Rafferty Law (Judge Law's son) plays Sgt. Ken Lemmons.

Other cast members include:

• Callum Turner as Major John Egan
• Ben Radcliffe as Capt. John D. Brady
• Anthony Boyle as Major Harry Crosby
• Edward Ashley as  Lt. Col. John B. Kidd
• Nate Mann as Major Robert 'Rosie' Rosenthal
• Elliot Warren as Lt. James Douglass
• And many more

How long has Masters of the Air been in production?

Masters of the Air has been in the works for some time. It was originally confirmed by HBO back in 2013 and development was predicted to cost as much as $200 million. Since then the production was dropped by HBO but picked up as Apple TV+ exclusive. 

The deal with Apple occurred in 2019 but production has no doubt been a bit of a struggle since then thanks to various lockdowns over the last few years. Positive COVID-19 tests from the crew also halted production for a while in July 2021 according to some reports as well. 

Masters of the Air release date

There's no official word on when the Masters of the Air mini-series will hit our screens. It is said to be planned for "late 2022" but we're yet to hear any updates on the actual date. 

No official trailer has become available yet either, so it's likely to be a long wait. 

Source : https://www.pocket-lint.com/tv/news/apple/162137-masters-of-the-air-everything-you-need-to-know