Ahead of the launch of Apple TV+, the tech giant has launched its own production studio. As Variety reports, the first in-house produced series will be Masters of the Air, executed produced by Steven Spielberg and Tom Hanks. The World War II drama will focus on the Eighth Air Force and will be a thematic follow-up to Band of Brothers and The Pacific.
Spielberg and Hanks will produce Masters of the Air through their Amblin Television and Playtone production companies. Based on the Donald L. Miller book, Masters Of The Air: America’s Bomber Boys Who Fought The Air War Against Nazi Germany, the miniseries was originally in development with HBO. The producing pair previously worked with the network on both of their previous WWII dramas.
According to Deadline, it is expected that the show will run for around eight hours in total and will cost somewhere around $200 million to produce. That's a huge budget for a single season of a show, dwarfing the estimated $90 million it cost to film the final season of Game of Thrones. However, it is worth noting that Band of Brothers was also extremely expensive, although it was later eclipsed by The Pacific at $200 million.
Apple seemingly doesn't mind throwing a lot of money at shows for its Aple TV+ streaming service. The Morning Show starring Jennifer Aniston, Reese Witherspoon, and Steve Carrell reportedly cost an astonishing $300 million for its currently unreleased two seasons. No word yet on when to expect Masters of the Air, but Apple TV is scheduled to launch on Nov. 1.
