Mastering the Skies: A Complete Guide to the Cast and Real-Life Characters of Masters of the Air

Article Overview

Apple's new miniseries Masters of the Air, produced by Tom Hanks and Steven Spielberg, features a massive cast of over 275 actors.

The Masters of the Air series, set to release on January 26, 2024, is anticipated to exhibit thematic and stylistic resemblances to Hanks and Spielberg's highly praised war series, The Pacific and Band of Brothers.

Austin Butler and Callum Turner, renowned for their prominent roles in Elvis and Fantastic Beasts, respectively, are the main stars of Masters of the Air.

The upcoming Apple miniseries, Masters of the Air, boasts an extensive ensemble cast with over 275 actors involved. Produced by Tom Hanks and Steven Spielberg, this highly-anticipated series is set to share thematic and stylistic similarities with their previous acclaimed war series, The Pacific and Band of Brothers. Discussions about a third WWII miniseries from Hanks and Spielberg began in 2012, and it was confirmed to be in development at HBO in 2013. However, production obstacles and budgetary concerns caused significant delays.

In 2019, Apple acquired the rights to the miniseries, which is based on the 2006 book, Masters of the Air: America's Bomber Boys Who Fought the Air War Against Nazi Germany, written by Donald L. Miller. The lead roles in Masters of the Air were announced in February 2021, with Austin Butler and Callum Turner taking center stage. Production finally commenced in April of the same year. Directing the first four episodes will be Cary Joji Fukunaga, known for his work on Beasts of No Nation, True Detective, and the upcoming James Bond film, No Time to Die. Jon Orloff, who wrote two episodes of Band of Brothers, adapted the series for the screen. Masters of the Air will exclusively stream on Apple+ starting from January 26, 2024.

Austin Butler As Major Gale 'Buck' Cleven

Austin Butler has been cast in a key role for the Apple WWII miniseries. He will be playing the optimistic Major Gale Cleven, nicknamed Buck. Butler is widely recognized for his impressive portrayal of music icon Elvis Presley in Baz Luhrmann's upcoming biopic titled Elvis. This highly anticipated project also features Tom Hanks. Butler gained prominence with his notable performance as Tex Watson in Quentin Tarantino's acclaimed film Once Upon a Time in Hollywood (2019). He initially made a splash in the entertainment industry with his recurring role on the popular Nickelodeon series Ned's Declassified School Survival Guide (2005-2007), marking his first foray into both film and television.

Callum Turner As Major John 'Bucky' Egan

Barry Keoghan As Lt. Curtis Biddick

Callum Turner shares the screen with Butler in the role of Major John Egan, also known as Bucky. Turner is known for his appearances in Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald (2018) and Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore (2022) alongside Eddie Redmayne, where he portrayed Theseus Scamander. In addition, Turner showcased his talent in the 2020 film Emma. as Frank Churchill, starring alongside Anya Taylor-Joy and Mia Goth. Furthermore, he is set to star alongside Joel Edgerton in The Boys in the Boat, an upcoming historical sports film directed by George Clooney, scheduled for release on Christmas Day 2023.

Portraying Lt. Curtis Biddick in Masters of the Air is actor Barry Keoghan. At 31 years old, Keoghan already earned an Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actor in the movie The Banshees of Inisherin released in 2022. Notable credits in his career include roles in Christopher Nolan's Dunkirk (2017) and HBO's Chernobyl (2019). His breakthrough performance came as a mysterious and vengeful young man named Martin in the film The Killing of a Sacred Deer from 2017. In addition, Keoghan made a brief appearance as the notorious DC villain the Joker in a post-credits scene of The Batman in 2022 and is set to star alongside Jacob Elordi in the upcoming film Saltburn scheduled for release in 2023.

Nate Mann As Major Robert Rosenthal

Nate Mann, portraying Major Robert Rosenthal, will make his presence felt throughout all nine episodes of Masters of the Air. Despite a relatively short filmography, Mann has already shown promise since graduating from Julliard in 2019. His debut in the film and television industry came in 2020 when he portrayed a young version of the main character in Showtime's Ray Donovan. Additionally, viewers may recognize Mann as Brian from Paul Thomas Anderson's Licorice Pizza, released in 2021. With Mann's portrayal of 'Rosie' in Masters of the Air, audiences will witness his fifth onscreen appearance.

Ncuti Gatwa As 2nd Lt. Robert Daniels

Ncuti Gatwa is set to portray 2nd Lt. Robert Daniels in Masters of the Air. Renowned for his portrayal of Eric Effiong in the popular Netflix series Sex Education, Gatwa's talent has garnered him widespread recognition. He also showcased his acting prowess as Ken in Greta Gerwig's highly successful movie Barbie, releasing in the summer of 2023. Notably, Gatwa has received three BAFTA nominations for his comedic role in Sex Education and is slated to take on the role of the Fifteenth Doctor in the long-standing series Doctor Who. His casting marks a significant milestone, as he will be the first black actor and the first actor not born in the United Kingdom to assume this coveted part.

Masters Of The Air Supporting Cast & Characters

Ben Radcliffe stars as Capt. John D. Brady, a 25-year-old British actor whose film debut was as Young Bruce in Cuban Fury (2014). He has also made appearances in notable productions such as The Witcher (Netflix series), Anatomy of a Scandal (2022), Hetty Feather (2018), and Ransom (2018).

Anthony Boyle takes on the role of Major Harry Crosby. He gained recognition for his appearance in the highly acclaimed episode 6 of season 4 of Game of Thrones titled "The Laws of Gods and Men." Additionally, Boyle has been seen in The Lost City of Z (2016) and has recently starred in Tolkien (2019) and Tetris (2023).

Raff Law will be playing the role of Sgt. Ken Lemmons. Raff, who is the son of actors Jude Law and Sadie Foster, made his film debut in 2010's Repo Men, where he portrayed a younger version of his father's character. He is now set to make his television debut in Masters of the Air.

James Murray has been cast as Major Chic Harding. He recently gained recognition for his role as Prince Andrew in the fifth season of The Crown. Additionally, Murray has appeared in numerous British miniseries and TV shows, including Cucumber (2015), Suspects (2016), and Him (2016). Prior to this, he portrayed a military personnel in the biographical war film Lee, released in 2023.

David Shields portrays Major Everett Blakely in the acclaimed television series Black Mirror, specifically in the episode "Demon 79." Prior to this role, he gained recognition for his portrayal of Colin Tennant in the first season of The Crown. Additionally, he can be seen in the 2021 war biopic Benediction.

Edward Ashley takes on the character of Lt. Col. John B. Kidd. He has recently appeared as Cambridge in the 2019 historical drama The King, alongside Timothée Chalamet. Furthermore, he has notable credits in The Lost City of Z and the 2018 AMC series The Terror (2018).

Adam Long gained recognition for his portrayal of Lewis Whippey in the highly acclaimed crime thriller series Happy Valley. He also had a minor role in Dunkirk and most recently appeared as Staff Sgt Greene in the Russo Brother's film Cherry, released in 2021.

Freddy Carter, renowned for his portrayal of Kaz Brekker in the Netflix series Shadow and Bone, made his debut in the film industry as a soldier in Wonder Woman, released in 2017.

Lauren McQueen gained recognition for her portrayal of Lily in the widely watched Channel 4 soap opera Hollyoaks. She has additionally made appearances in the comedic series 4 O'Clock Club and more recently in the action-packed Bulletproof.

Sawyer Spielberg takes on the role of Lt. Roy Frank Claytor. At 31 years old, he is the talented offspring of renowned filmmaker Steven Spielberg. While starting off as a background actor in 2017's The Post and a single episode of Red Band Society (2014-2015), he has steadily built his acting repertoire.

Bel Powley, widely recognized for her notable performances, is set to make a special appearance as Alexandra Wingate in the upcoming series Masters of the Air. Powley gained considerable acclaim for her role in the 2020 film The King of Staten Island, where she starred alongside Pete Davidson. Additionally, she showcased her talent on Apple's The Morning Show, captivating audiences with her portrayal of Claire Conway.

Editor's P/S

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I am incredibly excited about the upcoming Apple miniseries, Masters of the Air. The cast is absolutely stellar, and I can't wait to see Austin Butler, Callum Turner, Barry Keoghan, Nate Mann, and Ncuti Gatwa bring these real-life characters to life. The fact that Tom Hanks and Steven Spielberg are producing the series only adds to my excitement. They have a proven track record of creating high-quality war dramas, and I'm confident that Masters of the Air will be no exception.

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I'm particularly interested in the character of Major Gale Cleven, who will be played by Austin Butler. Cleven was a real-life bomber pilot who flew 35 missions over Germany during World War II. He was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross for his bravery and leadership. I'm eager to see Butler bring Cleven's story to life and to learn more about this fascinating figure.