Here’s the latest from the crossroads of faith, media & culture: 02/29/24

Fight and flight. Coming on the heels of its global hit miniseries Masters of the Air , Apple TV+ has just announced the formation of The Bloody Hundredth, a new documentary honoring the real-life heroes of the 100th Bomb Group which will premiere on Friday, March 15. The hour-long companion documentary is narrated by Tom Hanks who (as with Masters of the Air) executive produces with Steven Spielberg and Gary Goetzman. Directed by Mark Herzog and Laurent Bouzereau, the doc spotlights the true stories of several characters featured in the dramatic series.

Based on the book of the same name by Donald L. Miller and scripted by John Orloff, the Masters of the Air miniseries follows the men of the 100th Bomb Group (aka 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. The show portrays the psychological and emotional price paid by these young men as they helped destroy the the evil of Hitler’s Third Reich.

Masters of the Air is the sort of ambitious unabashed commemoration of real-life American heroism that you don’t see portrayed on television that much these days and the documentary seems apt to be a fitting follow-up.

John W. Kennedy is a writer, producer and media development consultant specializing in television and movie projects that uphold positive timeless values, including trust in God.