Masters of the Air: Release Date, Trailer, and Everything to Know About the Band of Brothers Sequel

Apple TV+ is taking the skies to honor the men of a bomber squad that helped end World War II in the new limited series Masters of the Air.

Fronted by Academy Award nominees Austin Butler (Elvis) and Barry Keoghan (The Banshees of Inisherin), the nine-episode series chronicles the real-life heroics and sacrifices of the 100th Bomb Group — the "Bloody Hundredth," as they were known — as they conduct perilous bombing raids over Nazi Germany.

While World War II series can be a dime a dozen, Masters of the Air has some serious credentials in its corner. The series is produced by Steven Spielberg, Tom Hanks, and Gary Goetzman, the same men who created HBO's lauded miniseries Band of Brothers (2001) and The Pacific (2010). Apple is billing Masters of the Air as a companion piece to those series, both of which won the Emmy for Outstanding Miniseries. Based on the book by Donald L. Miller, the ensemble series is an action-packed look at "a singular event in the history of warfare," according to Goetzman.

Here's everything to know about Masters of the Air, coming to Apple TV+.

Masters of the Air release date

Masters of the Air will premiere its first two episodes on January 26, 2024, with the remaining seven episodes airing weekly through March 15. The news was announced on Oct. 5.

Masters of the Air trailer

"We came from every corner of the world with a common purpose — to bring the war to Hitler's doorstep." The first trailer for Masters of the Air leans heavily on the challenge that faces the men of the 100th Bomb Group (the "Bloody Hundredth") as they take to the skies during World War II. Austin Butler's Elvis-adjacent drawl narrates much of the two-minute preview. He even takes a moment to admire the beauty of war from a distance, the very vantage point from which these pilots will be experiencing the ground assault in Europe. The first look also gives a sense of the camaraderie that bonded soldiers in times of war — something that was vastly important to the limited series predecessors Band of Brothers and The Pacific. The rest of the trailer is a taste of the action the series will chronicle, from nighttime aerial ambushes to the ground-level explosions. There may be smiles and hugs now, but Butler's voiceover reminds audiences these flights into war were suicide missions for many.

What is Masters of the Air about?

Masters of the Air is based on Donald L. Miller's book Masters of the Air: How The Bomber Boys Broke Down the War Machine. It follows the men of the 100th Bomb Group (the "Bloody Hundredth") as they lead the raids in the airspace over Nazi Germany. As the war rages on, the men grapple with the frigid conditions, lack of oxygen, and sheer terror of combat conducted at 25,000 feet. Apple TV+ describes "the psychological and emotional price paid by these young men as they helped destroy the horror of Hitler's Third Reich" as the main focus of the series. When they aren't in the sky, the men of the Bloody Hundredth were populating English air bases, trying to survive in German prisoner of war camps, and attempting to bring an end to the war.

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Masters of the Air cast

When Masters of the Air began announcing its cast in 2021, many of the actors weren't household names. But by the time it premieres, it will count two recent Oscar nominees among its ranks.

Austin Butler, nominated for playing the King of Rock and Roll in Elvis, will lead the series as Major Gale Cleven, nicknamed "Buck." Butler likely first caught Masters of the Air producer Tom Hanks' eye when the two costarred in Elvis, in which the Oscar winner played Elvis' notorious manager Col. Tom Parker. 

Callum Turner (the star of the George Clooney-directed film The Boys in the Boat) will play Cleven's best friend, Major John Egan.

The other Oscar nominee is Barry Keoghan, who was nominated for 2022's The Banshees of Inisherin. Other faces set to join the action are Sex Education alum and current Doctor Who Ncuti Gatwa, The Plot Against America's Anthony Boyle, A Small Light's Bel Powley, and Raff Law, the son of Jude Law.

Masters of the Air images

While the first official look at footage from the series came in May as part of a mid-year sizzle reel for Apple TV+ programming, the streamer released a series of first-look photos along with October's announcement of its January 26 premiere date.

The images feature hero shots of Butler, Turner, Boyle and Keoghan, decked out in their military finest beside their winged machines. One man out of uniform is Law, who is a bit more greased up in the middle of seemingly working on a plane engine. One of the most intriguing shots is of the entire "Bloody Hundredth" in a celebratory moment looking to the skies. What it all means will be revealed when the series premieres after the new year.

How to watch Masters of the Air, Band of Brothers, and The Pacific

Masters of the Air will stream on the Apple TV+ platform starting January 26, 2024. Until then, HBO's Band of Brothers and The Pacific, the other landmark World War II series from producers Steven Spielberg, Tom Hanks, and Gary Goetzman, can be streamed on Max and Netflix.