Barry Keoghan dressed for battle in first images of war drama Masters Of The Air

By Naomi Clarke, PA Entertainment Reporter

Irish actors Barry Keoghan and Anthony Boyle can be seen dressed for battle in the first images released for their upcoming Second World War drama Masters Of The Air.

The nine-episode limited series, which will also feature Elvis actor Austin Butler, Fantastic Beasts’ Callum Turner and Sex Education star Ncuti Gatwa, is set to launch on Apple TV+ on January 26th.

Tom Hanks, Steven Spielberg and Gary Goetzman are executive producing the series, which will follow the true story of a US bomber group during the war.

Dublin-born Keoghan, who won a Bafta and was Oscar-nominated for his role in The Banshees Of Inisherin, will portray Lieutenant Curtis Biddick.

In the newly released pictures he can be seen donning a wool-lined coat and a khaki green and brown leather pilot hat as he stares into the distance with a serious expression on his face.

Meanwhile, Boyle is pictured in a similar leather pilot jacket while sitting in the back of a truck.

The Belfast-born actor, who rose to prominence for his role in the West End show Harry Potter And The Cursed Child, will play Major Harry Crosby.

Nate Mann, Rafferty Law, Josiah Cross and Branden Cook will also feature in the series, which is based Donald L Miller’s book of the same name and has been scripted by John Orloff.

The film will follow the lives of the men from the 100th Bomb Group, nicknamed the “Bloody Hundredth”, as they conduct bombing raids over Nazi Germany and grapple with the dire weather conditions, lack of oxygen, and terror of air combat.

It will also explore the psychological and emotional price they had to pay during the war including being wounded, captured and killed.

Masters Of The Air is a sequel to the mini-series Band Of Brothers and The Pacific, which were also produced by Spielberg, Hanks and Goetzman.

Executive producer Goetzman said: “Masters Of The Air is a salute to the brave men of the 8th Air Force, who, through their courage and brotherhood, helped defeat Nazi Germany in the Second World War.

“Tom and Steven have always wanted to visualise cinematically what our author Don Miller has called, this ‘singular event in the history of warfare’.

“We’re thrilled that Apple TV+ has given us the opportunity to combine the efforts of so many talented people, on-screen and behind the camera, to tell this important story.”

Masters Of The Air will launch on Friday, January 26th, 2024 on Apple TV+.