Steven Spielberg and Tom Hanks take to the skies in the Masters Of The Air teaser
With their companion piece to Band Of Brothers and The Pacific, Steven Spielberg and Tom Hanks return to World War II
Aux News Tom Hanks
Over the last two decades, Steven Spielberg and Tom Hanks have frequently returned to their base-level supporters: World War II-obsessed fathers. Between Saving Private Ryan and Greyhound, Spielberg and Hanks, both together and apart, have routinely returned to the Greatest Generation and admired how they fought and why. They’re poised to do it again.
With Masters Of The Air, the dynamic duo of World War II miniseries ditches HBO for Apple and takes the third installment in their Band Of Brothers franchise to the skies. Led by a who’s who of up-and-coming leading men, including Austin Butler, Callum Turner, Anthony Boyle, Barry Keoghan, and Nate Mann, Masters Of The Air rides with the 100th Bomb Group, a.k.a The Bloody Hundred. Known for their bombing raids on Nazi Germany, the Bloody Hundred aims to show a new perspective on how the U.S. defeated the Nazis.
We’ve heard very little about the series over the past year, despite its pedigree and maybe because of it. Like the previous series, Spielberg and Hanks amassed an impressive list of directors, including Captain Marvel helmers Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck, Mudbound’s Dees Rees, and Sopranos vet Tim Van Patten, who previously directed an episode of The Pacific, for the show. However, the first four episodes were directed by Cary Joji Fukunaga, which might explain the lack of details. Fukunaga was hired just after the release of his Bond film, No Time To Die, and just before he was accused of sexual harassment and grooming his young female actors. The most recent reports came from the set of Masters Of The Air. How is Apple handling this? Well, by keeping his name (and the other directors’) out of the trailer, of course.
The nine-part series premieres on Apple TV+ on January 9, 2024.
Correction: An earlier version of this article incorrectly reported that Cary Joji Fukunaga directed five episodes. He directed four. We regret the error.
89 Comments
I have waited about a decade for this series. To say I’m excited is to be polite, I got a new TV, sound system and read the book in preparation. Loved Band of Brothers, loved the Pacific, will adore this.
Tom Hanks presents What Elvis Did In The War
The show looks to have a pretty big effects budget. Hopefully that means it’ll have a little less conversation, a little more action.
And some musical numbers! A hunka-hunka-burnin’ WAR!
Priscilla, apparently.
Known for their bombing raids on Nazi Germany, the Bloody Hundred aims to show a new perspective on how the U.S. defeated the Nazis.We wouldn’t expect anything less from a Seppo production other than completely ignoring the British, the Commonwealth, the Free French & Polish & Czech forces, actually a good chunk of Europeans in their various resistances, and, of course, the Soviet Union.But, no. It was all the Americans. I look forward to seeing the 100th bomb the Vemork hydro planet, the Ruhr Valley dams, the Tirpitz, the locks at St. Naizaire, that time they took out the radio transmitter just as Goering was about to give a speech about how great the Luftwaffe was……oh, and I hope there’s a bit where Bon Jon “Bad Medicine” Jovi steals the Enigma machine for the first time.
I agree. It’s outrageous that this television miniseries does not show every single event and participant in World War II.
In my experience trying to cover everything results in either a mess or something that’s too long for normal consumption. Its usually best to narrow a subject, film or show.
I was joking, and making fun of The Pete Murray Darling Basin Authority’s comment.I agree with you.
Ah damn it clicked wrong person because I agree with you too.
That comment deserves to be made fun of. Got my star.
It already looks like there’s too much going on here. I don’t quite understand how the Tuskegee Airmen fit into this, because I don’t think they ever flew with the 100th Bomb Group?
I am also aware that there’s a Dresden episode from civilians and bomber perspectives. We’ll see if its doing too much but it seems at least ambitious.
Interesting. I do think the bloody 100th took part in the Dresden bombing. But I’m not actually sure. I’ve been excited for this show for a long time. Since the show was teased as the Mighty Eigthy. And long enough to get sick of waiting and read most of the source material. I just can’t quite remember the extent of their Dresden involvement.
Settle down, Isabella.
What’s really frustrating is that, by law, this is the only movie, TV show, or book about World War II that can exist. So everything it leaves out about World War II will be lost to time forever.
Call Ken Burns.
Can I tell him to get a new barber? Or at least a new pudding basin?
Seems kinda normal for American film makers working with American producers to produce a movie about Americans. But I would love to watch a movie about all of the things you mention.
Based on a book about the US 8th Airforce.
You should check out the selections on Netflix.There are a ton of documentaries and theatrical productions about Great Britain and European countries involvement in the war.
We haven’t seen it, so we don’t know if it ignores everyone else. Looks like partisans are in the trailer, even.But the statement you are taking offense to is entirely true. The U.S. did defeat the Nazis. Not alone. But at a great price. It’s a story worth telling. Just like the stories of all the events you list.
Lol British people still sad their place in the world isn’t what it used to be. Sorry you had your pick of islands and decided to stay on the one with the shittiest possible weather.
Pretty sure he’s Australian (clue is in the name and the language used) but I suppose geography has never been your lot’s strongpoint
Lol, deadshit ‘Murricans thinking that the only other people on the planet on the planet are British.
I think one of the greatest tragedies of America is that all their smart kids must be the ones who get taken out on the school shootings, leaving only the morons.
Kudos for your comment, but I’m even going to gently and constructively take you to task for putting the Soviet Union last, despite your “of course.”
I mean… like the other two they are focusing on a particular unit. Nothing in the part you quoted indicates that the US won the war alone. If it was about a Czech unit the tagline would be “a new perspective on how the Czechs defeated the Nazis.” Also, the part you’re quoting isn’t from Seppo, but from Schimkowitz.“oh, and I hope there’s a bit where Bon Jon “Bad Medicine” Jovi steals the Enigma machine for the first time.”Also, I don’t believe U-571 said they stole an Enigma machine for the first time.
It also just seems silly to be pissy about the depictions of World War II in U-571. It’s a little-remembered movie that came out a quarter century ago, and it never put on any airs about being a faithful depiction of World War II. It’s like being mad at The Patriot’s depiction of the Revolutionary War.
And yet here you are defending it, Isabella. Gosh, did I touch the neckbeard’s nerve when I mocked New Jersey Navy-man’s movie?
Don’t even get the Pete Murray Darling Basin Authority started on Disney’s Pocahontas. There is no historical evidence — none — that the real Pocahontas ever had a kindly old woman willow tree friend.
Oh, I was simply pointing Schimmy’s choice of phrasing, but it’s funny to see all the all the book-banners come out of the woodwork. Well, a bit funny. But also sad.
Book-banners?
You know. Americans.
Oh, I get it. Because you think it’s every single American who wants to ban books, including the ACLU and various American human and civil rights organizations who actively work against that, rather than just a minority that is politically powerful in some parts of the country.
Well, it explains why so many of you misinterpreted my post. Don’t get angry at me, I didn’t coin the name.
A false statement can’t explain anything. A more likely explanation for multiple people interpreting your words in a way you didn’t intend is that you didn’t communicate yourself well. I’m not angry.
Exactly, and frankly, the use of Cockney slang, given that it exists intentionally to confuse those who aren’t of the low socioeconomic class that traditionally uses it, demonstrates that Pete-Murray-Whatthefuckever intended to be misunderstood, so he could act all superior about it.It’s not that different from the jargon of the academic class, which is intentionally opaque to anyone not part of that world. It’s to make those in the know feel superior, and to allow them to look down on the outgroups that don’t understand. Though, in the case of Cockney slang, its origins were more to hide criminal activity from the authorities and from their marks.
“Seppo” comes from Cockney rhyming slang. Basically, it’s used to obfuscate what the speaker is actually saying. In this case, it’s referring to an American (Yank) by calling them a “septic” as in “septic tank.” “Seppo” is a further obfuscation.It seems moderately derogatory, but it’s really all in the intent. Frankly, it’s hard for me to get too wound up about being insulted in what would be considered a low-class English dialect.
Oh I see. That is actually a fun linguistic fact, thanks.
You’re welcome! I’d link a Wikipedia page about Cockney rhyming slang, but, you know, Kinja.
Last I heard, the UK made some fine movies and tv shows. How about you show us how to do it proper?
You do realize that the US entering WW2 was the turning point that helped the European countries, right? Churchill was begging Roosevelt for any and all help he could get. No one is negating what Great Britain or Europe went thru or how their armies were important to the outcome of the war. This series focuses on this bomber group. Like how Band of Brothers focused on the 101st Airborne. Calm down.
I like how everyone interpreted your comment as a criticism on Masters of the Air, and completely missed that you were actually criticizing Schimkowitz’s statement.
Right? I thought that was obvious, but, well, here we are.
I’ve heard this kind of argument before. But like Band of Brothers, they took some particular books about a certain American military unit and made a mini-series about it. I realize Hollywood is somewhat global, but can’t Americans make a show about American troops? I don’t think they suggest they won the whole war. Nothing’s stopping British filmmakers from making war movies. Dunkirk and 1917 were great movies based on British soldiers, and as an American I thought they were both great.
I’ve been looking forward to this but didn’t realize until now that I’ll have to tolerate Austin Butler the whole time…oh well.
I thought the same about Shia LaBeouf in Fury but he was actually pretty good. Either that, or John Bernthal was just so annoying, he made Shia LaBeouf seem better by comparison, lol.
LaBeouf was extremely reserved, while Bernthal was going for some sort of feral mountain redneck thing I guess.
Makes me want to watch Memphis Belle again.
My sister and I watched that movie every day one summer. Every. Day. Every single day. We can still quote the whole thing backwards and forwards.
Well, I won’t tell anyone if you won’t.
It’s a great movie.
It is a good one, but nobody should be subjected to that much Sean Astin.
Aw what! But he’s adorable and stuck in a ball!
Fasten your safety strap!!!
Yes!
It’s the role Sean Astin was born to play: a gerbil!
Po-Tay-Toes, I say!
Sean Astin is great.
I have this book, and it’s good, but anyone interested in the early days of the 8th’s daily bombing campaign should read Combat Crew by John Comer for one man’s account of flying some of the most dangerous and brutal bombing missions of the war.
Why AppleTV? What happened to HBO for these? Ugh I want to see it but I don’t want to add another streaming service. I’ll have to see if they have a 30 day trial.
For what it’s worth, an Apple TV+ subscription is about half as much as HBO.
It’s worth little! Because I already get HBO with cable and a free MAX subscription with that. (I have cable still because I’m a hundred years old.)
Same. Don’t feel bad
I still have cable and all I get is MGM+
I kind of want that. Right now I get HBO and Showtime for premiums.
It was turned down in the early phases of HBO/Discovery cost cutting.
Well, I say. This decision affected me negatively indeed.
Apple regularly gives away 3 month subs. I haven’t paid for it once in the two years I’ve had it.
This is news I can use.
Hey, there’s a link in here for one of those 3 month subscriptions for Apple+ from Best Buy that I mentioned. Same one I’ve been using for a few years now. Sometimes there’s a glitch in redeeming it which causes an endless spinning icon on the Apple page in your browser. I once spent 90 minutes with 3 different help techs before a supervisor suggested just trying it on the web browser on my phone instead… which works for some weirdass reason… I literally just talked someone else through this that was having the same problem two nights ago. They never say how long the code’s valid for so I wouldn’t hold onto the email for too long without using it, but A) it’s usually good for a month or two and B) you can be relatively sure another offer will come along.Apple’s got a lot of crap, but there’s also a few genuinely good series in there. Let me know if you have any questions.https://mashable.com/deals/nov-24-black-friday-streaming-deals-2023
Awesome, thanks!!
Yeah, disappointed but there is plenty else to watch.
I miss the film grain from Band of Brothers, this looks a bit too..pretty. But maybe that’s because of Austin Butler hogging the frame through most of it?
Or perhaps because the focus is in the sky.Or maybe, teal/sepia filter is so 2000s.
I am concerned it seems a little too glossy, with lots of dramatic speeches. But that could also just be how they chose to promote it.
By dads. For dads.
With Spielberg and Hanks, I feel like we have to do the same thing we use to do to my father. He would watch WW2 documentaries constantly. When we would walk into the room and see one on, we would just spoil the ending and tell him “We win”
I’ll be watching, but I hope this makes me feel slightly less shitty about humanity than The Pacific did.
Man, I re-watched The Pacific after listening to Dan Carlin’s Supernova in the East because the podcast gave a lot more context to the show and I was interested in seeing it again. It is just brutal and on such a different level than Band of Brothers. I’m excited for this, and my assumption is that it will be more in line with Brothers than Pacific in terms of weeping for humanity.
I read the books that the Pacific are based on and remember them better than the miniseries.
Since listening to Carlin’s podcast, which relied on several of the books heavily, I’ve read With the Old Breed and Helmet for My Pillow and a couple others. If anything, The Pacific held back…
For sure! Probably why I remember them better than the show.
A big problem with The Pacific for me was that they jumped around to different places and people in the war much more than Band of Brothers did. It’s all well made, and still a great series. But following the same group constantly for 10 episodes pulled me into the story better. I didn’t connect as much with the “characters” in The Pacific.
Fukunaga’s fingerprints are all over this. His work defined the most recent phase of peak prestige TV in season 1 of True Detective and the far-less-seen Maniac (which is some of my favorite sci fi of recent years) and you can see that same vibe here. I wonder if he’s now finished in the industry given what’s been uncovered. Since wrapping filming he’s been in Ukraine filming on the ground. Presumably he has plenty of free time for passion projects these days.
Oh, now I get the setup:
Am I the only one that hates how this is shot? It’s almost impossible to believe this is the same pair of guys that brought us the gritty realism of Saving Private Ryan and Band of Brothers. This is so glossy it looks like outtakes from Pearl Harbor.