Austin Butler is ready to take flight and has revealed that he wants to learn to fly a plane: he is the protagonist of Masters of The Air, one of the most anticipated series of the beginning of the year, a dramedy about the Second World War produced by Steven Spielberg, Tom Hanks and Gary Goetzman, arriving on Apple TV+ on January 26th with the first two episodes, followed by a new episode every Friday, until March 15th.
The actor, already nominated for an Oscar for Elvis, plays Major Gale Cleven.
"I'd like to learn to fly someday," he said, speaking to People at the miniseries' premiere at the Regency Village Theater in Los Angeles.
The 32-year-old star said he picked up some skills in this area while filming Master of the Air.
“I'm rusty now, but I feel like I could do it,” she remarked.
Butler also shared his experience working with Tom Hanks (with whom he had worked in Elvis): "It's a pleasure to work with Tom, whether he's in front or behind the camera," said the actor who played the role in Dune 2. role of the evil Feyd-Rautha.
"Tom approaches everything with such care and kindness, he does so much research and constantly reads about this period," he added.
Masters of the Air, signed by the executive producers of Band of Brothers and The Pacific, Steven Spielberg, Tom Hanks and Gary Goetzman, is a retelling of the second half of the Second World War from the point of view of the 100th Bomber Group and boasts a ensemble, led by Butler, which includes Callum Turner (Fantastic Beasts), Anthony Boyle (The Plot Against America), Nate Mann (Ray Donovan), Rafferty Law (son of Jude), Oscar nominee Barry Keoghan (The spirits of the island), Josiah Cross (A Winning Family), Branden Cook (Tell Me Lies) and Ncuti Gatwa (Sex Education).
Based on the book of the same name by Donald L. Miller and written by John Orloff, the series follows the men of the 100th Bomber Group (the Bloody Hundredth) as they carry out dangerous bombing raids on Nazi Germany in prohibitive conditions, due to the freezing temperatures, to the lack of oxygen and the terror of a fight conducted at 25 thousand feet in the air.
The depiction of the psychological and emotional toll paid by these young men who helped destroy the horror of Hitler's Third Reich is at the heart of the story.
Some of these airmen were shot down and captured;
others were wounded or killed.
Still others were lucky enough to return home.
Regardless of individual fate, everyone received a tribute.
Ranging from the bucolic fields and villages of southeast England to the harsh privations of a German prison camp and portraying a unique and crucial period in world history, Masters of the Air is "a tribute to the brave men of the 8th Air Force who, thanks to their courage and brotherhood,
they helped defeat Nazi Germany in World War II,” said executive producer Gary Goetzman.
Tom and Steven have always wanted to cinematically translate what our author Don Miller called a singular event in the history of war." The cast of Masters of the Air described attending a mini-boot camp, history lessons and sessions in the flight simulator to prepare for their roles as World War II fighter pilots. The thing that required the most stamina? Their race in the cockpit. “It was a game we played and the real kids played too,” explained Callum Turner. "No one wanted to take the stairs to get on the plane.
You basically had to do a reverse pull up and swing your body into the hatch, which is not an easy thing to do when you have all the flying gear on." Turner added that the game became highly competitive between him and his colleagues Austin Butler, Nate Mann and David Shields as they competed to see who could get into the B-17 replica the fastest. Captain Dale Dye, who has also served as a consultant for Band of Brothers and The Pacific, led a training program two weeks for the cast. Produced by Apple Studios, Masters of the Air is executive produced by Spielberg through Amblin Television and by Hanks and Goetzman on behalf of Playtone. Darryl Frank and Justin Falvey of Amblin Television serve as co-executive producers along with Steven Shareshian from Playtone. In addition to writing, Orloff serves as co-executive producer. Graham Yost also executive produces the series. Anna Boden, Ryan Fleck, Cary Joji Fukunaga, Dee Rees and Tim Van Patten take turns directing.
Nate Mann and David Shields competing to see who could get into the B-17 replica the fastest.
Captain Dale Dye, who also served as a consultant for Band of Brothers and The Pacific, led a two-week training program for the cast.
Produced by Apple Studios, Masters of the Air is executive produced by Spielberg through Amblin Television and by Hanks and Goetzman for Playtone.
Amblin Television's Darryl Frank and Justin Falvey serve as co-executive producers along with Playtone's Steven Shareshian.
In addition to writing, Orloff serves as co-executive producer.
Graham Yost also serves as an executive producer on the series.
Anna Boden, Ryan Fleck, Cary Joji Fukunaga, Dee Rees and Tim Van Patten take turns directing.
Nate Mann and David Shields competing to see who could get into the B-17 replica the fastest.
Captain Dale Dye, who also served as a consultant for Band of Brothers and The Pacific, led a two-week training program for the cast.
Produced by Apple Studios, Masters of the Air is executive produced by Spielberg through Amblin Television and by Hanks and Goetzman for Playtone.
Amblin Television's Darryl Frank and Justin Falvey serve as co-executive producers along with Playtone's Steven Shareshian.
In addition to writing, Orloff serves as co-executive producer.
Graham Yost also serves as an executive producer on the series.
Anna Boden, Ryan Fleck, Cary Joji Fukunaga, Dee Rees and Tim Van Patten take turns directing.
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