Apple To Produce A $200-Million ‘Band Of Brothers’ Follow-Up Series With Steven Spielberg & Tom Hanks

Before now, Apple’s model for populating its upcoming streaming service with original content is to sign deals with existing production companies and finance the films/series with the hopes of distributing it on Apple TV+. It’s the same sort of model that Netflix used in its streaming infancy. However, the tech company is changing things up for its upcoming WWII drama, a follow-up to the hugely popular “Band of Brothers,” as Apple isn’t just financing and distributing but is also producing.

According to Deadline, Apple has signed a deal to produce a series based on the Donald L. Miller book “Masters of the Air: America’s Bomber Boys Who Fought The Air War Against Nazi Germany.” The series will also be produced by Steven Spielberg and his Amblin Television company, as well as Tom Hanks and Playtone. The report claims that Apple is going to spend upwards of $200 million on the series, which is said to be comprised of only eight episodes.

‘Masters of the Air’ tells the story of a group of American WWII bomber boys that deploys to Germany to bring the fight to Hitler directly. The series is being written by John Orloff, who penned multiple episodes of “Band of Brothers,” while also serving as a consultant on the second WWII series from Spielberg/Hanks, titled “The Pacific.” As you might have guessed, ‘Masters of the Air’ is being thought of as the trilogy-ending story.

This new series wasn’t always an Apple TV+ project. Years ago, ‘Masters of the Air’ was looked at as a potential HBO series, as that premium network was the home of ‘Band’ and ‘Pacific.’ However, HBO eventually left the deal and that has led to Apple swooping in to make it happen.

Obviously, it’s far too early to tell when we might see ‘Masters’ debut on Apple TV+, but it’s clear that the streaming service is sparing no expense to make sure the platform has some high-quality content.