Masters of the Air - Miniseries

Band of Brothers and The Pacific WWII companion piece stars Austin Butler and Barry Keoghan

Masters of the Air is an Apple TV+ war-drama miniseries from John Shiban and John Orloff. The miniseries draws inspiration from Donald L. Miller's 2007 book, "Masters of the Air: America's Bomber Boys Who Fought The Air War Against Nazi Germany," which focuses on the events of the United States Army Air Forces' 100th Bombardment Group in World War II. This group, known as the "Bloody Hundredth," earned its nickname because of the amount of casualties it suffered during combat missions.

Masters of the Air functions as a companion piece to two beloved and critically acclaimed historical TV miniseries: Band of Brothers and The Pacific. Industry veterans Tom Hanks and Steven Spielberg served as executive producers for both of these influential shows. Gary Goetzman initially produced Band of Brothers and later assumed the role of executive producer for The Pacific. All three resume their positions as executive producers for Masters of the Air.

Highly acclaimed TV writer John Shiban has made significant contributions to hit shows such as The X-Files, Breaking Bad, Hell on Wheels, Better Call Saul and Ozark. John Orloff wrote two episodes of Band of Brothers which subsequently received a Primetime Emmy Awards nomination for Outstanding Writing for a Miniseries, Movie or Dramatic Special. Orloff has also penned the screenplays for A Mighty Heart and Anonymous. In Masters of the Air, there are nine episodes directed by five different directors. This lineup includes Cary Joji Fukunaga (True Detective), Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck (Captain Marvel), Dee Rees (Mudbound) and Tim Van Patten (The Pacific).

Austin Butler portrays the lead role of Major Gale Cleven in the miniseries. Butler gained major recognition following his performance in the 2022 film Elvis, which earned him an Academy Award nomination for Best Actor. Just as with the two preceding miniseries, Masters of the Air boasts an extensive ensemble cast. This includes fellow Best Actor nominee (for The Banshees of Inisherin), Barry Keoghan, along with Callum Turner, Anthony Boyle, Nate Mann, Raff Law, Josiah Cross, Branden Cook, Ncuti Gatwa, Kai Alexander, James Murray, Tommy Jessop, Freddy Carter and Nikolai Kinski.