Steven Spielberg has made films in every genre, excelling at every turn due to his focus on the narrative at hand, despite its scale or lack thereof. From small-budget films like Jaws to Jurassic Park films, the director is keen on delivering the best cinematic experience possible with great thrill and enthusiasm. In addition to directing. he has been a producer on various films and TV shows.
He and Tom Hanks were executive producers on two of HBO’s highly acclaimed World War II companion shows Band of Brothers and The Pacific. However, their latest addition to that series Masters of the Air came under Apple TV+. HBO was keen on making the show under their banner but creative differences and budgetary issues caused HBO and the makers to part ways.
Executive Producer Explains Masters of The Air Not Being Under HBO Like Its Companion Shows
2001’s Band of Brothers and 2010’s The Pacific were two brilliant companion shows portraying different facets of World War II from two viewpoints. The Emmy-winning 2001 show explored the war through the eyes of the 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment of the 101st Airborne Division while the latter moved to the sea focusing on the Pacific Theater of Operations.
The two shows were executive produced by Steven Spielberg, Tom Hanks, and Gary Goetzman. The trio wanted the winning momentum going with the next series going airborne with Masters of the Air, following the actions of the much celebrated 100th Bomb Group. However, unlike the previous two shows that were made under HBO, Masters of the Air was made under Apple TV+.
In an interview with IGN, Goetzman revealed that HBO showed interest in Masters of the Air and the trio had never made shows outside of HBO. However, with the network’s new regime, the outlook toward what shows to be greenlit changed. When they started talking about the budget, it became apparent and HBO couldn’t handle it. Thus, they moved to Apple TV+ and successfully negotiated a budget that both parties agreed on. He said,
They insisted on us developing it. We had never made any television for anyone other than HBO. When we finally came around to it and newer people were there and we started talking about budget, it was obvious they couldn’t handle it. And [fellow executive producer] Steven Spielberg said, ‘Let’s go to Apple TV+.’ And so we did and met with their two head guys there. And they said, ‘Hey, just don’t go over this number and we’re with you. We’ll do it.’ And they did.
Masters of the Air starred Austin Butler, Callum Turner, Barry Keoghan, and Anthony Boyle along with a huge ensemble cast, and received positive reviews from critics and fans. It has an 85% on Rotten Tomatoes and received three nominations at the 76th Primetime Creative Arts Emmy Awards.
Masters of The Air Needed Technology To Evolve To Properly Execute Its Aerial Sequences
Steven Spielberg and Tom Hanks reunited to executive produce the new WWII drama series Masters of the Air. The show has some intense aerial sequences and combats that were visually stunning while also including some interesting dynamics between the pilots mid-air.
That level of visual grandeur and scale wouldn’t have been possible ten years back says executive producer Gary Goetzman. In an interview with NBC News, he further stated that they needed to wait for the technology to evolve to the point that they wanted so that they could pull off the large-scale aerial sequences. Goetzman said,
Ten years ago, the technology wasn’t there. And we really needed the technology to be there for us to simulate all of these planes in the air doing these very dramatic sequences.
Masters of the Air was a big success and earned various accolades. Spielberg is now focusing on his next directorial project which will be a UFO film that will reportedly star Emily Blunt and Colin Firth (via Deadline) with Jurassic Park‘s David Keopp scripting it. Fans can watch Masters of the Air on Apple TV+.
