The upcoming World War 2 series Masters of the Air has it all: dollops of heroism, action scenes galore, and a production team that includes the same people behind wartime sagas Band of Brothers and The Pacific.
The show is a historical drama that follows the fortunes of the real-life 100th Bomb Group of the US Air Force: a squad that was nicknamed the “Bloody Hundredth” due to the devastating losses they suffered in the line of duty.
It also has an unbelievably glamorous cast. With Austin Butler, Barry Keoghan and Ncuti Gatwa all due to make appearances, the show is shaping up to be one of 2024's big titles – and though the cast list numbers almost a hundred people, we’ve whittled it down to the must-know actors. Here’s what you need to know about the key castings, and who they play.
Austin Butler plays Major Gale ‘Buck’ Cleven
Gale Cleven is a pilot: one of the 100th Bomb Group’s original members. After a devastating loss on board the ‘Flying Fortress’ plane during combat, he’s also the man who rallies the rest of the crew to keep fighting. The real-life Cleven was also shot down in October 1943 and held in the prisoner of war camp Stalag Luft III for much of the war.
Austin Butler is best known for playing Elvis in Baz Luhrmann's epic film of the same name. Born in 1991, he was approached by an acting agent at the age of 13 and began his career on the Nickelodeon and Disney channels, appearing in Zoey 101 and The Shannara Chronicles. He got his big break in Once Upon A Time in Hollywood, where he played fictional Manson family member Tex Watson, and from there scored the lead role in Elvis. Later, he would describe it as "the most intimidating thing I've ever done. I honestly didn't sleep for about two years."
After Masters of the Air, he's set to appear as the villainous Feyd-Rautha in the upcoming second instalment of the sci-fi epic film Dune.
Callum Turner plays Major John ‘Bucky’ Egan
Bucky Egan is another one of 100th Divison’s early signups, and in addition to being a pilot, he is also in charge of 35 fighter planes and 350 crewmen.
Turner, who plays him, is a British actor from Hammersmith. He started his career in 2010 as a model but has credited his mother with inspiring him to become an actor. In 2012 he starred in ITV show Leaving opposite Helen McCrory, and played troubled teen Ashley in ITV show The Town.
Since then, he’s appeared in BBC One series The Capture as Shaun Emery and as Joe Rantz in 2023 George Clooney film The Boys in The Boat – however he’s probably best known for his turn as Theseus Scamander in the Fantastic Beasts film franchise.
Barry Keoghan plays Lt. Curtis Biddick
Biddick is another pilot in the 100th Division, whose plane crash lands during a skirmish; as a result, he joins the crew of the ‘Flying Fortress’ plane.
Keoghan is one of Hollywood’s brightest rising stars: an Irish actor from Dublin, he grew up in foster care after his mother (who struggled with addiction) died when he was 12. He studied acting at local school The Factory – he has talked about "not even having €2.20 to get the bus” there.
Since then, he’s carved out a career as a highly successful actor. He appeared most recently in 2023 film Saltburn, but also made appearances in 2017’s Dunkirk and The Killing of A Sacred Deer, and in 2019 miniseries Chernobyl – though his breakthrough role was 2022 film The Banshees of Inisherin, for which he won a BAFTA Award.
Anthony Boyle plays Lt. Harry Crosby
Harry Crosby signed up for the Air Force after the bombing of Pearl Harbour in 1943. He works as the Lead Navigator for the 100th Division, starting with a 1900 mile trip to Norway (which was by then occupied by the Nazis).
Belfast actor Boyle was born in 1994 and initially trained at the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama in Cardiff. He started his acting career in the West End, playing Scorpius Malfoy in Harry Potter and The Cursed Child, for which he won a Laurence Olivier Award. He’s appeared in Derry Girls and Agatha Christie adaptation Ordeal By Innocence, and is set to play the role of John Wilkes Booth in upcoming Apple TV+ series Manhunt.
Ncuti Gatwa plays 2nd Lt. Robert Daniels
Robert Daniels is one of the Tuskegee Airmen – a division of African-American pilots who fought in the war and faced huge discrimination both in and out of the army. Gatwa is Scottish-Rwandan: his family fled Rwanda during the 1994 genocide and settled first in Edinburgh, then Dunfermline.
Gatwa studied at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland and worked as a go-go dancer in his spare time. After appearing in numerous small roles (both on stage and in TV), he was cast as Eric Effiong in the Netflix series Sex Education. Since then, he’s gone onto appear as a Ken in Greta Gerwig’s Barbie, and was cast as the Doctor in the BBC's Doctor Who, succeeding Jodie Whittaker in the lead role. He made his first appearance in the role in December 2023, with his first series due to follow in May.
Rafferty Law plays Sgt. Ken Lemmons
Not much is known about his role, but Law himself is the son of actor Jude Law and Sadie Frost. Born in 1996, he attended Bedales School in Hampshire and appeared in his first school play aged 5 or 6. His first acting role was in The Hat, a 2020 short film in which he starred with his father during the Covid-19 pandemic – and which won the Spirit of the Festival Award at the 2020 Raindance Film Festival. Prior to Masters of the Air, his other acting role was as Oliver Twist in the 2021 film Twist – in which he starred opposite Michael Cain and Rita Ora.
Nate Mann plays Maj. Robert ‘Rosie’ Rosenthal
Mann is another fresh face in the cast. He graduated from Juilliard School in 2019 and made his stage debut in a production of Little Women, following it up with a role in Paul Thomas Anderson’s film Licorice Pizza. In June 2023, it was announced that he’d be joining the cast of upcoming miniseries/ mystery drama Apples Never Fall.
James Murray plays Col. Neil ‘Chick’ Harding
Harding is the Colonel who briefs the 100th Division on their objectives, and what they’re facing up in the air. Murray himself is probably best known for playing Prince Andrew during the Netflix blockbuster series The Crown. Born in 1975 in Manchester, his list of credits is extensive: he’s also appeared as Stephen Hart in Primeval, Daniel Coltrane in Russell T Davies series Cucumber, and Niles Pottinger in Defiance.
Elliot Warren plays Lt. James Douglass
This is Warren’s first major acting role. A British actor and screenwriter, he received an Olivier Award for Flesh and Bone, which he wrote, in 2019. He’s appeared in How To Have Sex and The Batman, worked as a writer on Top Boy and is set to appear in Disney+ series A Thousand Blows about the brutal world of Victorian boxing.
Freddy Carter as Lt. David Friedkin
Despite playing an American soldier, Carter is also a Brit – born in Plymouth, he cites seeing a production of Mark Rylance’s Jerusalem as his inspiration to pursue acting. He made his debut in 2017 film Wonder Woman, directed his first film, No. 89, in 2019 and appeared as Kaz Brekker in hit 2021 Netflix series Shadow and Bone.
Isabel May plays Marge
Marge is the love interest of Gale Cleven: he carries her photo on his missions. May is an American actor. Born in California in 2000, she decided to pursue online schooling as a child so she could focus on auditioning for roles. Since then, she’s starred as Katie Cooper in Netflix series Alexa & Katie, and prior to Masters of the Air appeared as lead character Elsa Dutton in the Paramount+ series 1883 – a spinoff of Yellowstone.
