War and Peace star Callum Turner was transformed into a brave US army airman as he got to work filming the big-budget Steven Spielberg miniseries Masters Of The Air in Berkshire on Tuesday.
The actor, 31, suited up in a full World War II military uniform to play the role of Major John Egan as the sleepy village of Bray was transported back to the 1940s for the long-awaited drama based on Donald L. Miller’s novel.
Masters Of The Air is set to feature a star-studded cast including Jude Law’s son Rafferty, Austin Butler and Fantastic Beasts star Callum in a series based on the exploits of the Eighth Air Force of the United States Army, who famously brought the war straight to Hitler’s doorstep by dropping bombs in the German capital of Berlin.
Taking to the skies: War and Peace star Callum Turner was transformed into a brave US army airman as he got to work filming the big-budget Steven Spielberg miniseries Masters Of The Air with co-star Barry Keoghan (right) in Berkshire on Tuesday
Callum, who plays real-life Air Force hero Major John Egan, donned the full uniform to film scenes inside the Hinds Head pub, as his character is joined by his comrades in Britain after taking to the skies for the war effort.
The actor could be seen laughing and joking with his co-stars on the set which was packed with extras, with many female actors dressed in a traditional tea dresses and vintage curls.
Meanwhile Barry, best known for his roles in the Christopher Nolan epic Dunkirk, was seen dressed in a similar attire as the cast shared a laugh between scenes.
Taken back in time: The sleepy village of Bray was transported back to the 1940s with a slew of extras to film the scenes at the Hinds Head pub
Jovial: Callum, who plays real-life Air Force hero Major John Egan (pictured right), donned a full World War II uniform as his character is joined by his comrades in Britain
Drink up: Meanwhile Barry – who starred Christopher Nolan’s own World War II epic Dunkirk joked around as he sipped a drink between scenes
Callum is playing Major Egan in the series, who was a part of the Eighth United States Air Force that were part of the lengthy bombing campaign during the Second World War.
After being part of the Air Force’s ‘Big Week’ which saw the team bomb Leipzig and multiple aircraft factories, they attacked the German Reich’s capital Berlin before moving onto bomb other cities in the country.
Egan went onto serve for his country in Korea and the Far East and after attending the National War College in Washington DC he was assigned duties in the Policy Division, Directorate of Plans. He died of a heart attack in 1961 at the age of just 45, and was buried in Arlington National Cemetery with full military honours.
It was revealed on Tuesday that producers Tom Hanks and Steve Spielberg have constructed a sprawling US Airforce base in the British countryside to film the drama – at an eye-watering cost of £5 million.
The Hollywood heavyweights are producing the Apple TV series, which started shooting in the UK in February and features Callum Turner, Austin Butler, Anthony Boyle and Jude law’s son, Rafferty, among its cast.
Masters Of The Air is based on Donald L. Miller’s book Masters of the Air: America’s Bomber Boys Who Fought the Air War Against Nazi Germany.
Sprawling: It was revealed on Tuesday that producers Tom Hanks and Steve Spielberg have constructed a sprawling US Airforce base in the British countryside to film the drama – at an eye-watering cost of £5 million
It was initially reported that HBO had planned to televise the series, when rumours first swirled almost a decade ago back in 2012, by 2019, it was revealed that Apple TV had made a deal with Spielberg and Hanks’ production companies for the series.
While Deadline Hollywood reports 10 episodes at $200 million, the Hollywood Reporter has claimed it will be nine episodes at $250 million.
The miniseries follows the exploits of the Eighth Air Force of the United States Army during World War II, who brought the war to Hitler’s doorstep and bombed Berlin, Hanover, and Dresden, destroying enemy targets like rail facilities and oil refineries.
Established in 1944 after the redesignation of VIII Bomber Command, the Eighth Air Force was the largest in terms of personnel, aircraft, and equipment that was deployed during the war.
Their bombing campaign against Nazi Germany was the longest of the Second World War and was considered a war within a war until Allied soldiers crossed into the country in the final months of the conflict.
Bomber crews were an elite part of the American Air Force, with notable members of the team including actors Jimmy Stewart and Clark Gable, and they were expected to engage in air-to-air fighter combat at 25,000 ft.
In the book the show is based on, author Dr. Miller paints an intricate picture of the bomber boys’ lives during the war through interviews, oral histories, and archives from England, America, and Germany.
The team is said to be shooting 10 episodes of the series, with an estimated production cost of over $200 million.
Back in October of last year, it was announced that Cary Joji Fukunaga would be directing the first three episodes.
It is hoped that the series will emulate the success of Band Of Brothers, the American war drama miniseries also produced by Spielberg, 74, and Hanks, 64, back in 2001.
Based on based on historian Stephen E. Ambrose’s 1992 book of the same name, the show dramatised the history of “Easy” Company, 2nd Battalion, 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment, of the 101st Airborne Division.
Band Of Brothers followed the Battalion’s jump training in the US, to its participation in major actions in Europe, up until Japan’s capitulation and the end of World War II.
Also filmed in the UK, the miniseries – which starred Damian Lewis, Dale Dye, Colin Hanks, David Schwimmer, Donnie Wahlberg, and Ron Livingston, among others – was a critical success, scooping numerous awards.
Pictures of the set come days after Line Of Duty’s Terry Jessop was pictured getting into character for the series elsewhere in the English countryside.
The 36-year-old actor was spotted shooting scenes on the set of the show, which is based on the actions of the Eighth Air Force of the US Army Air Forces in the sleepy Buckinghamshire village of Bledlow.
A far cry from the gritty surroundings on the set of his BBC show, Tommy was seen getting fussed over by hair and makeup and wardrobe teams as he stood amid the rolling green home county hills.
Dressed in a loose-fitting white shirt with a patterned white tie, Tommy looked dapper as he waited to step before cameras in his period costume, which also consisted of baggy dark trousers and suspenders.
A huge filming operation could be seen set up around the Lions Of Bledlow pub, as the sizeable cast and crew took over the picturesque village, which sits on the county boundary with Oxfordshire.
And while Spielberg or Hanks were not present on the day Tommy was spotted filming, esteemed Hollywood producer Gary Goetzman was seen sharing his insight as he sipped on a warm beverage.
Directed by Cary Joji Fukunaga, who helmed the latest and much-delayed James Bond film No Time To Die, the Apple TV series is reported to have been shooting in the UK for at least two months.
While Tommy’s role in the series has yet to be announced, the actor teased a ‘top secret’ project on Twitter. He revealed that the secret gig in question has required him to learn boxing, sword fighting and fishing.
Nissen Huts: The wood and corrugated metal structures created in 1916 by British Army and used during both world wars
The famous Nissen Hut was created in 1916 by Major Peter Nissen of the 29th Company Royal Engineers of the British Army, whose prefabricated semi-circular structures were widely used in both world wars.
Before the end of the First World War 100,000 huts, made from wood and corrugated metal, were produced. They were turned into churches and bomb stores, as well as being used for accommodation.
The Nissen hut could be packed in a standard Army wagon and could be erected by a small team of men. The record for putting one together was one hour and 27 minutes.
The Nissen Hut went through three prototypes before being produced for the British Army
Nissen patented his prefabricated steel structure in the UK in 1916 and patents were taken out later in the United States, Canada, South Africa and Australia.
After production dropped off between the wars, they again began to be mass-produced in 1939 and came into their own across the globe in World War Two.
But while they were quick to erect, they were not always loved by those who stayed in them. In Britain people complained they were cold and draughty – in the Middle East they were felt to be hot and stuffy.
After the war the huts were sold and the Government paid Nissen £13,000 –the equivalent of around one million pounds now.
The Major was awarded the DSO (Distinguished Service Order).
Major Peter Nissen was awarded the equivalent of £1million