Austin Butler spent three years of his life preparing to play Elvis Presley in Baz Luhrmann’s Elvis. From dressing like the King to studying his mannerisms, Butler struggled to return to normal life, so much so that he couldn’t shake Presley’s voice after filming. Butler’s first project after Elvis was Masters of the Air, Apple TV+’s World War II series.
Butler arrived in the UK in 2021 with the rest of the cast and went right into prep, which included a boot camp to train like soldiers and learn about flying. Butler credited his “beautiful” experience on Masters of the Air for helping him move on from Elvis.
“I went immediately into boot camp. I went from being on stage in a jumpsuit to being just one of 50 guys in fatigues,” Butler said to Total Film. “It was really humbling, and there’s something about the uniformity that I think started to cleanse me.”
Check out the new Masters of the Air trailer below (watch more trailers):
What to Expect in Masters of the Air?
“Masters of the Air” follows the men of the 100th Bomb Group (the ‘Bloody Hundredth’) as they conduct perilous bombing raids over Nazi Germany and grapple with the frigid conditions, lack of oxygen, and sheer terror of combat conducted at 25,000 feet in the air, the official synopsis reads. “Portraying the psychological and emotional price paid by these young men as they helped destroy the horror of Hitler’s Third Reich, is at the heart of Masters of the Air. Some were shot down and captured; some were wounded or killed. And some were lucky enough to make it home. Regardless of individual fate, a toll was exacted on them all.”
Butler stars as Major Gale Cleven, alongside Callum Turner as Major John Egan and Barry Keoghan as Lt. Curtis Biddick. The large ensemble also features Anthony Boyle, Nate Mann, Raff Law, Josiah Cross, Branden Cook, and Ncuti Gatwa.
Masters of the Air is written by John Shiban and John Orloff based on Donald L. Miller’s 2007 book of the same name. Masters of the Air is the companion series to Band of Brothers and The Pacific. Steven Spielberg, Tom Hanks, and Gary Goetzman are producers of the series. Directors include Cary Joji Fukunaga, Dee Rees, Tim Van Patten, and the duo of Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck.
The first two episodes of Masters of the Air will stream to Apple TV+ on Friday, January 26, 2024, followed by one new episode every Friday through March 15, 2024.
