“Masters of the Air” is a war drama streaming television miniseries that serves as a companion to “Band of Brothers” (2001) and “The Pacific” (2010).
Let’s dive into some trivia and facts about the film.
- Masters of the Air is a 2024 American war drama streaming television miniseries
- It is created by John Shiban and John Orloff
- It was developed by Orloff for Apple TV+
- It is based on the 2007 book Masters of the Air: America’s Bomber Boys Who Fought the Air War Against Nazi Germany by Donald L. Miller
- The series follows the actions of the 100th Bomb Group, a B-17 Flying Fortress unit in the Eighth Air Force during World War II
- The unit was nicknamed the “Bloody Hundredth” due to the heavy losses it suffered in combat missions
- The series serves as a companion to Band of Brothers (2001) and The Pacific (2010)
- It is also the first series to be produced by Apple Studios, in cooperation with Playtone, and Amblin Television
- Filming began in England in 2021
- It was delayed on several occasions due to the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic
- Masters of the Air premiered on January 26, 2024
- On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds 82% rating
- Based on 68 critics’ reviews
- With an average rating of 8.0/10
- The website’s consensus reads: “Soaring high with its immaculate production design and acutely well-observed characters, Masters of the Air can stand proud alongside its sibling series Band of Brothers and The Pacific”
- Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the show a score of 73 out of 100
- Based on 40 critics
- Reports of a third World War II-based miniseries in the same vein as Band of Brothers and The Pacific developed by Tom Hanks and Steven Spielberg began in October 2012
- The new miniseries will be focusing on United States Army Air Forces aircrews of the Eighth Air Force
- In January 2013, HBO confirmed it was developing the miniseries, based on Donald L. Miller’s book Masters of the Air: America’s Bomber Boys Who Fought the Air War Against Nazi Germany to be adapted by John Orloff
- It would specifically focus on the 100th Bombardment Group of the Eighth Air Force
- In October 2019, it was reported that Apple had made a deal with Spielberg’s and Hanks’ respective production companies to stream the series exclusively on Apple TV+ instead of HBO
- In a statement, HBO later confirmed that it had decided not to move forward with the series
- Deadline Hollywood reported the series contains ten episodes, at a total production cost of over $200 million
- While The Hollywood Reporter said it contains nine episodes at a total cost of $250 million
- The series was the first Apple TV+ series to go into production under the technology firm’s in-house production company, Apple Studios
- In October 2020, Cary Joji Fukunaga was announced to be directing the first three episodes of the series
- In February 2021, Austin Butler and Callum Turner were cast to star in the series
- Anthony Boyle and Nate Mann joined the cast in March
- With Raff Law, James Murray and Tommy Jessop added in April
- Freddy Carter revealed his casting in a May interview
- While set photos revealed Barry Keoghan was also cast
- In June, Dee Rees was announced as directing episodes of the series
- In July, Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck were also announced as directing episodes
- Colleen Atwood served as costume designer
- In February 2021, it was reported that production had begun at Dalton Barracks in Oxfordshire, England
- Retrospective temporary 12 month planning permission has been applied for at Newland Park, Chalfont St Peter, following the construction of a WWII barracks on the site
- Filming paused briefly in July due to positive COVID-19 tests
- Production also occurred in Hemel Hempstead
- The series used on-set virtual production by Lux Machina for cockpit scenes
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