In 2001, three years after the release of Saving Private Ryan, Steven Spielberg and Tom Hanks returned to World War II. This time they did it as producers, accompanied by Gary Goetzman and on television. “Blood Brothers” became a classic of the war genre, followed in 2010 by “The Pacific,” both on HBO. While the first focused on the infantry, the second focused on the navy. Now the team that brought the stories of brotherhood between soldiers into chapter format in the conflict that has claimed the most lives is completing its epic television trilogy by turning its eyes to the heavens.
“Masters of the Air” (the first two episodes are now available on Apple TV+, which releases a new one every week until nine of the miniseries are completed) is based on the book of the same name by Donald L. Miller, adapted for television by screenwriter John Orloff , who was part of the Blood Brothers writing team 23 years ago. Its protagonists are the men of the 100th Bombardment Group of the US Air Force. Before their arrival, British bombers only attempted night missions, which were safer but less effective. The Americans took greater risks with daylight attacks because they were more effective at hitting targets such as railroad networks, oil refineries, and vital supplies to the Nazi German machine. They also suffered higher casualties: more than 70% were killed, wounded or captured.
More information
Actors Austin Butler and Callum Turner lead the large cast. They play two of the real men whose stories the series reflects: Gale Cleven and John Egan. Unlike other fighters, they have been friends for years and their relationship serves as a guide for the viewer on the missions they must complete. “I’ve always been intrigued and intrigued by that period and I was a big fan of Blood Brothers and The Pacific,” Austin Butler says in a video interview. “When the opportunity came, I didn’t even think about it,” says the actor, who was nominated for an Oscar in 2023 for “Elvis.” Callum Turner, sitting next to him, describes it as “an honor to be able to play people who changed the course of the war and helped save the world.” “I remember being 22 and with When I first started with my agent, we always said we needed to look for something like Blood Brothers. A lot of young actors started there, Tom Hardy, Michael Fassbender, Andrew Scott…” he continues.
An image from the first episode of “The Masters of the Air.”
Their characters have contrasting personalities. Compared to the stoicism, calmness and few words of Gale Cleven (Buck to his friends), John Egan (Bucky) is extroverted, carefree and gregarious. “One of the things we learned is that when you're in a war, your personality type multiplies tenfold. If you are an introvert, you will be ten times more introverted. If you’re an extrovert, you’ll be 10 times more extroverted,” says Turner. “The most important thing when you're on this plane is to protect those who are with you. This brotherhood is at the heart of everything. “We spent a lot of time together building that relationship,” Butler adds.
To prepare for their roles, the actors received two weeks of training from Dale Dye, a technical consultant and Navy veteran who also advised on the other two war productions. “It was a luxury because we were able to get to know each other and share our struggles. We learned how to land and take off a plane, what each button on a plane's control panel means and where it is located, how to shoot, how to prepare bombs… In addition, it gave us as a crew the glue that made us helped move the film forward. It was a recording that lasted ten months, which is a long time, and those weeks helped build this unity and awareness that we had a common goal,” describes Turner.
Actors Barry Keoghan and Austin Butler (foreground) in “Lords of the Air.”
The actors also quickly became aware of the emotional burden and weight that the war left on the fighters. “We are talking about a war zone that was unprecedented up to that point, it was the most violent place on the planet. The loss these men had to endure was immense. In the third mission of the series in Africa, 27 aircraft take off and only 11 land. “Imagine the toll this takes on their souls, bodies and minds,” reviews Callum Turner. Showing the consequences and physical and emotional damage of these men of war is one of the main goals of the series.
To recreate this hell, those responsible for production wanted the greatest possible authenticity. They placed particular emphasis on replicating the B-17 aircraft they used at the time. Although some of these aircraft still exist, they did not have the features they needed for filming, so they decided to build their own B-17s from scratch. They designed two replicas, one for rolling on the track and one for pulling. The construction took eight months. In this way, the actors were able to shoot in a cabin identical to that of the B-17, through whose windows they could see on huge LED screens the rest of the aircraft or the attacks of the flak, the German defense system. Aircraft defense. “It was an incredibly captivating experience,” both actors agree. In addition, they built about 80 buildings to recreate the military base, from the barracks where they slept, the canteens where they ate or the chapel. “They gave us a map to guide us, it was that big,” recalls Callum Turner. “This combination of technology and old-fashioned approach was a very special experience. Gary Goeztman, Steven [Spierlberg] and Tom [Hanks] “They left no stone unturned to achieve this,” adds the actor.
Austin Butler and Callum Turner, in the fourth episode of the series “The Masters of the Air”.
Using the months of recording, the actors illustrate the complication of filming in times of the pandemic. “To be honest, I had more pressure not to catch Covid than anything else. And inevitably we all caught Covid at different times,” recalls Callum Turner. Despite this, and despite the responsibility they felt for the story they were telling, they also had moments of recovery. “We had a choreographer who gave us dance lessons. We did it during training where we had to fly a plane, dance, sing… We took lessons in everything. There were several sequences with dance moves that turned out quite well and those days were a lot of fun,” he recalls.
You can follow EL PAÍS Television on X or sign up here to receive our weekly newsletter.
Get the TV newsletter
All the latest news from broadcasters and platforms, with interviews, news and analyses, as well as recommendations and reviews from our journalists
LOG IN