"Steven Spielberg and Tom Hanks are heading back to World War II on HBO for a third time. We first got wind of another follow-up to Band of Brothers and The Pacific back in october, when HBO executives Michael Lombardo and Richard Plepler told press they were considering a third miniseries in a similar vein. At the time, we knew only that the new show would focus on aerial battles over the Pacific. Now the subject matter is coming into clearer focus as the project has secured the rights to Donald L. Miller‘s book Masters of the Air: America’s Bomber Boys Who Fought the Air War Against Nazi Germany." Source: Steven Spielberg and Tom Hanks Secure Source Material For Their Third World War II-Set HBO Miniseries | /Film Enjoyed The Pacific and especially Band of Brothers, so this should be interesting. Though, I would still love to see a series like these which is based on british forces.
So, air battles over the Pacific or the bomber war against Germany? Hopefully not Pearl Harbor, where the main protagonist does both! Whilst I enjoyed Band of Brothers and Pacific (less so), I think that a US mini-seies based on UK participation in the war is, unfortunately - and understandably! - a pipe dream. Roxy
Still think there's potential for a Commonwealth focus style of mini-series, perhaps a co-production between ABC, BBC, and CBC. Especially for North Africa and Italy.
So, air battles over the Pacific or the bomber war against Germany? Hopefully not Pearl Harbor, where the main protagonist does both! Whilst I enjoyed Band of Brothers and Pacific (less so), I think that a US mini-seies based on UK participation in the war is, unfortunately - and understandably! - a pipe dream. Roxy The source material is about the 8th AAF so definitely going to be the bomber campaign over Northern Europe from UK bases. I for one am super excited!!
Whilst I enjoyed Band of Brothers and Pacific (less so), I think that a US mini-seies based on UK participation in the war is, unfortunately - and understandably! - a pipe dream. Roxy Have to say I agree Roxy. Sadly the "money" comes from the US.
Can't we pretend the Americans were at Dunkirk....I could always fast forward passed the bits containing the Americans
Still think there's potential for a Commonwealth focus style of mini-series, perhaps a co-production between ABC, BBC, and CBC. Especially for North Africa and Italy. There's the potential - but not the money and some would argue, not the market for it (we know different of course!) Hopefully as production costs come down with digital technology there will be more people making smaller scale films, like The German The German on Vimeo The German (2008) - IMDb
i will watch for this with interest, i liked band of brothers (book was alot better) and i watched the pacific, will wait and see how this turns out
Excellent, i've been hoping for another WW2 miniseries. I really hope it's as good as Band of Brothers...The Pacific was ok but not a patch on BoB. On a similar theme, but going back a few more years in history, is another miniseries due out this year. It's set during the American civil war and features many of the old BoB cast including Damian Lewis. Its called 'To Appomattox'. To Appomattox (TV mini-series 2013–X) - IMDb
Kudos for such a new HBO war series with Spielberg and Hanks at the helm. (though with Spielberg I get the unbecoming feeling he always wants to burden the viewer with an unrealistic heavy morality... mark my words when he is editing the Dresden bombardment; all pilots will supposedly have an immediate remorse...(not in real life..perhaps a few only until far after the war)). Anyway, I always like statistics and misinterpretations, what about this line: "In 1943, an American bomber crewman stood only a one-in-five chance of surviving his tour of duty, twenty-five missions. The Eighth Air Force lost more men in the war than the U.S. Marine Corps.". I always read this; the western allies bombers and the german U-boat crews were the ones with the least chance of survival. Now, we have all seen and read about how easily german tanks ripped open the british tanks from 1940 till... technically 1 on 1 as far as 1945 ..when considering all effects (massproduction, air superiority, etc.) that period ends in 1944. Wouldn't it be acceptable to say that also the british (and hell, why not including the tommy cooker Sherman) tankers had an appalling low chance of survival as well over the period 1940-1943 ? And that his chance of survival ONLY raised because of the sheer weight of numbers over the period 1944-1945 ? say over 1940-1943: of 2000 tankers 1500 men died (chance = 1/4), but during 1944-1945 you get an influx of 10000 tankers of which 2000 tankers died, this results in the optimistic score of 8.5/12 = 2/3 ish. Whereas the bombers in the end did not receive the same raise in bombers/crews as the landforces did (this is an assumption..but I can imagine in 1945 no more new bombers were ordered as the war in europe definitely came to a close..). Hurray, the tankers fared much better than the bomber crews...? or not quite so fancily put ? Can someone enlighten us about this piece of statistics ? Note. I guess the data is not about live/die but finish tour of duty yes or no (in other words: captivity in enemy area = lost/MIA , but crew did thus not die).
Goodygixxer, I had a little twitch when I clicked you link to 'To Appomattox' as there was a hint that it might be based on a novel by Jeff Shaara. His 'To the Last Man' is sat, unloved, on my bookshelf mostly due to the slating that it received on the GWF. Happily, it appears not to be so. Roxy
Nothing is stopping the film makers in Britain or any of the Commonwealth countries from making movies or mini-series highlighting their own armed forces experiences. The US has the largest market, and the reason movies are made is for making money after all. If a movie on Dunkirk for example, was made in the states, it would be a bust at the box office. The movie going public would not go see it in droves because they don't know much if anything at all about Dunkirk, or what went on there much less the importance of that part of the war. I'd love to see an epic movie or mini-series based on Dunkirk or any other non-US portion of the war, but we get what we get and I'm grateful for it so there no reason to bash US about it. Write letters to your own film makers to get off their @$$'s and make a movie you want to see. I want to see it too. Until then ssshhhh, enjoy the flick and pass the popcorn!
Anyway, I always like statistics and misinterpretations, what about this line: "In 1943, an American bomber crewman stood only a one-in-five chance of surviving his tour of duty, twenty-five missions. The Eighth Air Force lost more men in the war than the U.S. Marine Corps.". I always read this; the western allies bombers and the german U-boat crews were the ones with the least chance of survival. You could also add the Battle of the Atlantic and the terrible losses of life for the MN/MM with tonnage losses peaking in November 42 - "if" continually repeated this would have had a huge effect on Britain. HOWEVER Overall during the Atlantic Campaign, only 10% of transatlantic convoys that sailed were attacked, and of those attacked only 10% "on average" of the ships were lost. Overall, 1939 - 1945 more than 99% of all ships sailing to and from the British Isles during WWII did so safely. Overall averages can, as you point out, be quite misleading.
A-58, Sorry if you felt that I was bashing the US - certainly not my intent. US film makers are, understandably, making films that they expect to draw crowds to the (predominantly) US box office. Hence my lack of expectation for a UK based mini-series. The likelihood of British film makers making something similar to BoB is, in my opinion, pretty slim. I'll keep quiet now, and enjoy the rest of the film! Roxy
A-58, Sorry if you felt that I was bashing the US - certainly not my intent. US film makers are, understandably, making films that they expect to draw crowds to the (predominantly) US box office. Hence my lack of expectation for a UK based mini-series. The likelihood of British film makers making something similar to BoB is, in my opinion, pretty slim. I'll keep quiet now, and enjoy the rest of the film! Roxy No, I didn't take your post as US film making bashing at all friend. Check your PMs for clarification please!
East Anglia to have starring role in Tom Hanks and Steven Spielberg’s HBO series Masters of the Air **Updated** HBO\'s \'Masters of the Air\' WWII mini-series filming in England
I have remarked often to Marc Stevens, author of Escape, Evasion and Revenge, that if his father had become an American, rather than Canadian, Spielberg would have already made the feature film. But, a screenplay is apparently forthcoming.
I read a few years ago that a British version of Band of Brothers was proposed to the BBC. The management were initially enthusiastic and told the proposer to draw up a detailed proposal. This was done, but by the time that it was ready the person with the final say had changed. The new one pronounced that it was a well thought out proposal but that there was no longer any demand for that sort of thing! Since then I have seen US, French, Norwegian, Polish and German TV series following groups of soldiers or resisters in WWII, yet nothing from the UK, the country supposedly obsessed with WWIi. The source was Skindles, the off topic part of the Great War Forum, but it is periodically pruned and the post is no longer there.
