Masters of the Air: release date of Band of Brothers sequel on Apple TV, cast with Austin Butler, and trailer

Masters of the Air, a new Second World War drama series from Steven Spielberg and Tom Hanks, and a successor to Band of Brothers and The Pacific, lands on Apple TV this week.

The show has its London premiere tonight (January 22) ahead of a wide Apple TV release. The nine part action drama had an estimated production budget of a staggering $250 million, which would make it the third most expensive TV show per episode of all time, behind only The Rings of Power, and Stranger Things.

Masters of the Air tells the story of an American airborne unit who flew missions over Germany and occupied Europe in B-17 ‘Flying Fortress’ bomber planes. As the crews climb into their huge planes, they know that each time they leave the runway could be their last.

The crews risk death and devastating injury as they are met with enemy flak and fighter planes, whilst those who parachute out of their damaged B-17s are likely to be captured by German soldiers on the ground.

Is there a trailer for Masters of the Air?

Yes, and you can watch it right here:

Is Masters of the Air a sequel to Band of Brothers?

Masters of the Air is a companion series to the 2001 drama Band of Brothers, and the 2010 show The Pacific, both of which were made for HBO.

Band of Brothers followed Easy Company, a group of soldiers in the US Army, from their training through to the D-Day landings and the final year of the war in Europe.

The Pacific explored the experience of American Marines in Japan,from August 1942 to the surrender of Japan and end of the Second World War. Both shows were produced by Steven Spielberg and Tom Hanks, who had previously worked together on seminal Second World War film Saving Private Ryan.

Spielberg and Hanks reunited to produce Masters of the Air, and whilst the series does not feature any characters from Band of Brothers or The Pacific, the three shows are connected thematically, as they each tell the story of America’s involvement in the Second World War from a different perspective.

Who is in the cast of Masters of the Air?

• Austin Butler as Maj. Gale 'Buck' Cleven
• Callum Turner as Maj. John 'Bucky' Egan
• Anthony Boyle as Lt. Harry Crosby
• Barry Keoghan as Lt. Curtis Biddick
• Rafferty Law as Sgt. Ken Lemmons
• Elliot Warren as Lt. James Douglass
• David Shields as Major Everett Blakely
• Matt Gavan as Capt. Charles Bean Cruikshank
• Ben Radcliffe as Capt. John D. Brady
• Darragh Cowley as Lt. Glenn Graham
• Edward Ashley as Lt. Col. John B. Kidd
• Nate Mann as Major Robert 'Rosie' Rosenthal
• Ben Vincent as Lt. John Fredrick
• Adam Long as Capt. 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
• Kai Alexander as Sgt. William Quinn
• Louis Greatorex as Capt. Joseph 'Bubbles' Payne
• Jon Ewart as Lt. William Couch
• Ncuti Gatwa as 2nd Lt. Robert H. Daniels
• Branden Cook as 2nd Lt. Alexander Jefferson

Is Masters of the Air based on a book?

Masters of the Air is adapted from the 2006 historical novel of the same name by historian Donald L Miller. Miller based the book on interviews with veterans of the Second World War, and on archival documents from the US, Britain, and Germany. John Orloff, who also worked on Band of Brothers, adapted the book for the screen.

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.