Not Schindler’s List But Austin Butler’s World War II Drama is the “Biggest Project” Steven Spielberg Has Ever Worked On
Steven Spielberg is no stranger to creating epic, emotionally resonant World War II dramas. From definitive projects like Saving Private Ryan and Schindler’s List to his groundbreaking TV miniseries Band of Brothers, he’s long been drawn to portraying humanity within wartime chaos.
Yet even for the legendary director, his new Apple TV+ miniseries Masters of the Air starring Austing Butler required unprecedented scale and complexity. In bringing the story of American bomber pilots in WWII to life, Spielberg undertook what he calls his “biggest project ever.”
Just How Massive is the Production of Austin Butler’s Masters of the Air?
According to IMDb, With a reported budget exceeding $250 million for nine episodes, Masters of the Air is indeed one of the most expensive TV series ever made. Over 3,000 crew members worked behind the scenes to build an immersive WWII world. Significant resources went towards recreating intricate details like fighter planes and bombers.
The series utilized advanced technology like wraparound LED volumes to simulate perilous flight scenes. Actors were suspended 50 feet in the air within replica B-17 cockpits, reacting in real-time to onscreen explosions and crashes. Three B-17 planes were built from scratch for maximum authenticity at staggering expense.
In front of the camera, the ensemble cast numbers over 300 speaking roles across nine hours of television. Stars like Austin Butler underwent two weeks of grueling boot camp with a former Marine to bond as comrades. It’s easy to see why this was a landmark undertaking for even an accomplished director like Spielberg.
How Does This Compare to Saving Private Ryan and Schindler’s List?
While Spielberg brought his signature emotional realism to previous WWII epics, none required the outright scale of Masters of the Air. Saving Private Ryan filmed dangerous battle scenes with a lean crew on a $70 million budget. Schindler’s List mandated reproducing concentration camps but centered mainly on Liam Neeson and Ben Kingsley’s raw performances.
Masters of the Air demanded building an entire air force infrastructure from planes to barracks plus reenacting aerial sequences. Its vast battlescapes and ensemble format exceed Saving Private Ryan’s intimate scope. And it focuses more on the machinery of war than Schindler’s List’s interpersonal drama.
From its tremendous cost to vast depictions of air combat, Masters of the Air is indeed Spielberg’s biggest swing at capturing WWII’s human toll. Twenty years after Band of Brothers, it sees the director again pushing his technical and creative capacities to honor veterans with immersive authenticity. More than just awards bait, it may be remembered as the ultimate expression of Spielberg’s WWII oeuvre.
What Inspired Masters of the Air’s Unprecedented Production?
While Spielberg’s career will forever be linked to chronicling WWII, Masters of the Air has an especially personal genesis. The miniseries adapts Donald L. Miller’s non-fiction book about the U.S. 8th Air Force unit with the highest casualty rate in the European theater. Spielberg first read and optioned the book over a decade ago, being profoundly moved by the source material.
Having known members of the famous 100th Bomb Group himself and witnessing their camaraderie even 75 years later, Spielberg felt a duty to honor their memory. The veterans’ advanced age added urgency to capturing Masters of the Air before the last living links to the story passed away. Between Spielberg’s long passion for the project and desire to pay tribute while possible, the ambitious miniseries finally moved forward as the director’s career-capping WWII effort.
