Band of Brothers sequel finally has its release date confirmed after years of anticipation

Band of Brothers fans will be pleased to know that its sequel's release date has finally been confirmed.

The original war-centred miniseries - created by Tom Hanks and Steven Spielberg - dropped in 2001 and went on to win Emmy and Golden Globe awards.

Band of Brothers was based on on a true story, with Hanks and Spielberg taking inspiration from historian Stephen E. Ambrose's book of the same name.

Nine years later, Hanks and Spielberg released The Pacific (also based on people's true stories) and took the Allies to the shores of Japan.

Like Band of Brothers, the series went on to win a host of awards.

With the first two miniseries receiving such high acclaim, it only made sense that a third was brought out - and so Masters of the Air was born.

As its title suggests, Masters of the Air will bring us the stories of the brave men who took to the skies in World War II and is, of course, being produced by the dream team that is Hanks and Spielberg.

Robert Viglasky

A host of famous faces are in the programme including Austin Butler (Elvis), Barry Keoghan (The Banshees on Inisherin) and Callum Turner (Fantastic Beasts).

It was reported that the new series began filming in 2021, so TV fans have been eagerly waiting for Masters of the Air to be released - and the wait is nearly over.

Butler, Keoghan's and Turner's newest project will land on Apple TV+ in the new year, with its subscribers being able to stream the first episode on 26 January, 2024.

According to Apple TV+, part of the synopsis for its new miniseries - the first series to be produced by Apple Studios - reads: "Based on Donald L. Miller’s book of the same name, and scripted by John Orloff, 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."

Apple TV+

33-year-old Butler looks to take a leading role in Masters of the Air, and it was Hanks who got him on board with the show.

Apparently the acting veteran urged Butler to take a role straight after filming Elvis so he wouldn't get 'emotional whiplash', ultimately offering him a job on Masters of the Air.

Speaking to The Sunday Times earlier this year, Butler said that Hanks told him: “You have immersed yourself so deeply in Elvis that, for your mental health, it would be wise to go straight into something else.

"If you just jump off the train, you might have emotional whiplash.

“And, you know, I’ve got this thing I’m producing."

Of course, Butler took the role (he'd have been crazy not to!), and it's safe to say he looks like he fits the character perfectly.

Masters of the Air drops on Apple TV+ on 26 January.