Masters of the Air cast: Austin Butler, Callum Turner, and Barry Keoghan star in Apple TV WW2 drama series

Apple TV series Masters of the Air boasts an all star cast which includes major Hollywood stars Austin Butler and Barry Keoghan, and well known British actors like Callum Turner and new Doctor Who Ncuti Gatwa.

The series, based on a historical novel of the same name, follows members of the ‘Bloody 100th’, a US Air Force unit that flew bombing raids and other supremely dangerous missions over occupied Europe during the Second World War.

Masters of the Air, executive produced by Tom Hanks and Steven Spielberg, is a successor series to HBO shows Band of Brothers and The Pacific. The series premiered in the UK this week ahead of a global streaming release on Friday.

Who is in the cast of Masters of the Air?

Austin Butler was a big child star in the US, starring in Zoey 101, Ruby and the Rockits, and Sharpay's Fabulous Adventure, but the actor shot to international fame following his role as the king of rock in Baz Luhrmann’s 2022 biopic Elvis. He also starred alongside Jodie Comer and Tom Hardy in 2023 crime drama The Bikeriders.

Butler plays Maj. Gale 'Buck' Cleven, a real American pilot who flew Flying Fortresses during the Second World War. Buck quickly rose through the ranks, becoming a lieutenant, then captain, and finally major - he saw action over Bremen and took part in several raids over Germany, flying from Britain.

Callum Turner plays Maj. John 'Bucky' Egan in the series - the actor is known for his work on British dramas including War & Peace, and The Capture. He also played Theseus Scamander in the Harry Potter spin-off Fantastic Beasts films, and this year starred in historical sports drama Boys in the Boat, which is in cinemas now.

Bucky is Buck’s best friend in Masters of the Air, which is a little confusing given their similar nicknames. He and Buck were assigned to the ‘Bloody 100th’ division at the same time, and Bucky was placed in charge of 35 fighter planes - he sees many of his men killed in action over intense bombing campaigns and grapples with the responsibility of command.

Barry Keoghan is a rising star in Hollywood, having had major roles in Dunkirk, The Green Knight, and The Banshees of Inisherin, before taking on the disturbing part of Oliver in recent Amazon Prime drama/horror film Saltburn. 

In Masters of the Air, he stars as Lt. Curtis Biddick, an Irish American pilot who successfully lands his badly damaged plane after a particularly bad mission, before getting back in the saddle for more bombing raids.

Anthony Boyle is one of the lesser known stars of the series, though he has a huge role in the show/ The actor will be recognised for parts in Tolkien, The Plot Against America, and Apple TV movie Tetris.

In Masters of the Air, he plays nervous navigator Lt. Harry Crosby - despite having no faith in his own abilities, and putting all of his success at directing flying missions down to luck, he is an indispensable part of the Bloody 100th. Crosby struggles with the cost of warfare throughout the series, taking a serious knock when one of his close friends fails to return from a mission.

Ncuti Gatwa has a relatively small part in the series, given how big a name he is now following his hugely popular turn as Eric in Sex Education, and his recent debut as the 15th Doctor in Doctor Who.

Gatwa plays 2nd Lt. Robert Daniels, in the Tuskegee Airmen, a division of bombers and fighter pilots made up entirely of Black airmen as a result of segregation that remained in the US army at the time, even as Americans fought for freedoms abroad. He appears in just two episodes of the series, but his role is an important one.

Masters of the Air has a huge cast - others stars of the series include Matt Gavan as Charles Cruikshank, Ben Radcliffe as John D. Brady, Darragh Cowley as Glenn Graham, Edward Ashley as John B. Kidd, Nate Mann as Robert 'Rosie' Rosenthal, Ben Vincent as John Fredrick, Adam Long as Bernard DeMarco, Alfie Tempest as Sammy, Toby Eden as Billy Taylor, Jordan Coulson as Lt. Howard 'Hambone' Hamilton, James Murray as Colonel Neil 'Chick' Harding, Jonas Moore as Capt. Frank Murphy, Jake Wardle as Sgt. James Gibson, Tom Joyner as Capt. Robert 'Stormy' Becker, and Kai Alexander as Sgt. William Quinn.

When is the Masters of the Air release date?

The first two episodes of Masters of the Air will be released on Apple TV on Friday, January 26. The remaining episodes in the series will be released weekly, with the finale landing on the platform on March 15.