Masters of the Air is produced by Tom Hanks and Steven Spielberg, who also made Band of Brothers – so, is it a sequel to the WW2 series?
Arguably the biggest Apple TV show to date (at least in terms of its budget, estimated at $250 million), Masters of the Air chronicles the heroic, tragic efforts of the “Bloody Hundredth”, a legendary bomb group from the US who earned its name from constant losses during chaotic daytime missions over Nazi Germany.
It stars Butler as Gale “Buck” Cleven, alongside Callum Turner as John “Bucky” Egan, two pals who join the 100th early in the ’40s and vow to be the last men in the sky by the time the war ends. They head up an ensemble cast that also features Barry Keoghan, Ncuti Gatwa, Nate Mann, and Anthony Boyle.
It also comes more than 20 years after HBO’s Band of Brothers – but is Masters of the Air a sequel?
Is Masters of the Air a Band of Brothers sequel?
Masters of the Air isn’t a sequel to Band of Brothers – but it’s a companion piece, much like 2010’s The Pacific.
The original series, also developed by Steven Spielberg and Tom Hanks, followed “Easy” Company through the Second World War, all the way from their paratrooper training in the US to Japan’s capitulation and the end of the conflict.
They reteamed for The Pacific, focusing on the Marines’ efforts in the Pacific theater of WW2. Two years later, reports emerged that Spielberg and Hanks were considering a third series revolving around the US Air Force. In 2013, HBO confirmed it was developing a project based on Donald L. Miller’s Masters of the Air, with Apple TV taking over in 2019.
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As for any connection between the shows, it ultimately comes down to the creatives driving it (Hanks, Spielberg, and Gary Goetzman) and the fact they’re all set in the Second World War, but there’s no crossover of their stories.
The official synopsis reads: “Masters of the Air follows the men of the 100th Bomb Group as they conduct perilous bombing raids over Nazi Germany and grapple with the frigid conditions, lack of oxygen, and sheer terror of combat conducted at 25,000 feet in the air.
“Portraying the psychological and emotional price paid by these young men as they helped destroy the horror of Hitler’s Third Reich, is at the heart of Masters of the Air. Some were shot down and captured; some were wounded or killed. And some were lucky enough to make it home. Regardless of individual fate, a toll was exacted on them all.”
Masters of the Air Episodes 1-3 are streaming on Apple TV+, which you can sign up for here. You can also check out our other coverage below:
Review | Premiere recap | Episode 3 recap | Release schedule: Dates & episodes | Cast and real-life characters | Filming locations | Is it a Band of Brothers sequel? | Soundtrack & songs | Is Barry Keoghan’s Curt dead?
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