Austin Butler and Callum Turner will star in the World War II drama from Steven Spielberg and Tom Hanks.
Apple has drafted its two lead actors for the World War II drama Masters of the Air.
Austin Butler (Once Upon a Time in Hollywood) and Callum Turner (The Capture) will star in the series, a companion piece to HBO’s Band of Brothers and The Pacific. Like those two, Masters of the Air is produced by Tom Hanks and Gary Goetzman’s Playtone Productions and Steven Spielberg’s Amblin Television. Apple Studios also produces.
Based on a book by Donald L. Miller, Masters of the Air follows American “bomber boys” in World War II who flew missions over Germany, taking the war to Hitler’s doorstep. Butler will play Maj. Gale Cleven, and Turner will play Maj. John Egan.
John Orloff and Graham Yost, both of whom wrote for Band of Brothers, are writing and will serve as co-executive producers. (Yost also worked on The Pacific.) Spielberg, Hanks and Goetzman executive produce; Playtone’s Steven Shareshian and Amblin’s Darryl Frank and Justin Falvey are also co-EPs.
Butler’s credits also include The Dead Don’t Die and The Shannara Chronicles. He’s also playing Elvis Presley opposite Hanks’ Col. Tom Parker in Baz Lurhmann’s biopic of the rock legend. He’s repped by Anonymous Content, WME and The Lede Company.
Turner earned a BAFTA TV Award nomination for his role in The Capture. He plays Theseus Scamander in the Fantastic Beasts movie franchise; other credits include the 2020 Emma and The Only Living Boy in New York. He’s repped by WME, Curtis Brown UK, Ziffren Brittenham and Shelter.
