Bloody Hundredth: Tom Hanks to narrate Masters of the Air documentary

Executive produced by Steven Spielberg, the hour-long documentary spotlights the stories of the real-life airmen featured in Masters of the Air.

Following the premiere of its new blockbuster series Masters of the Air, Apple TV+ has announced a new documentary – The Bloody Hundredth – honouring the ‘real-life heroes’ of the 100th Bomb Group. Narrated by Tom Hanks, the documentary is executive produced by Steven Spielberg, Tom Hanks and Gary Goetzman. 

Directed by Mark Herzog and long-time Spielberg collaborator Laurent Bouzereau, the hour-long documentary spotlights the true stories of several characters and real-life airmen featured in Masters of the Air, including John Egan (played by Callum Turner), Gale Cleven (Austin Butler), Harry Crosby (Anthony Boyle), Robert ‘Rosie’ Rosenthal (Nate Mann), Frank Murphy (Jonas Moore), and Alexander Jefferson (Brandon Cook), as well as veterans John ‘Lucky’ Luckadoo, Robert Wolf, and many others.

Reviewing Masters of the Air for ScreenHub Stephen A Russell wrote:

Masters of the Air delivers its best stuff up above, even if the uninitiated have to swallow a lot of stodgy tactical chat about plans, planes and formations that war wonks will chew up before we get there. If it’s a little disappointing that the aircraft are rendered with CGI when grounded, then there’s no faulting the epic aerial battle sequences, seamlessly stitching bone-shudderingly visceral cockpit shots with mind-blowing battles amidst thick nimbus alight with hellfire.

Masters of the Air, Apple TV+ review: mind-blowing battles

A spokesperson for Apple TV+ said: ‘From the shock of Pearl Harbor to the joy of VE Day, The Bloody Hundredth is a record of what was endured and achieved by a group of young Americans when their country and the world needed them most.’

The Bloody Hundredth premieres on 15 March on Apple TV+.

Paul Dalgarno is author of the novels A Country of Eternal Light (2023) and Poly (2020); the memoir And You May Find Yourself (2015); and the creative non-fiction book Prudish Nation (2023). He was formerly Deputy Editor of The Conversation and joined ScreenHub as Managing Editor in 2022. X: @pauldalgarno. Insta: @dalgarnowrites