‘Masters of the Air’ Finally Lands Premiere Date — But Director Cary Fukunaga Is MIA
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Apple seems to be distancing its upcoming Masters of the Air drama from director Cary Fukunaga, with the James Bond filmmaker absent from the press materials announcing its premiere date. Rolling Stone has also learned that Fukunaga has taken a backseat on his forthcoming docuseries Omnivore with the studio.
The long-awaited Tom Hanks- and Steven Spielberg-produced WWII epic will premiere Jan. 26, 2024, Apple said Thursday. Starring Austin Butler, Barry Keoghan, and Raff Law, the series follows the stories of the elite American bomber troops who fought in the war. Fukunaga, of No Time to Die, True Detective, and Beasts of No Nation, directed four of the nine episodes. Although his hiring made widespread news and subsequent updates highlighted Fukunaga’s involvement — Apple described him as a “visionary” in a separate deal announcement — Apple left him out of the list of high-profile names attached to the show.
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Filming started in early 2021 in England with multiple production delays due to Covid-19. In May 2022, Rolling Stone spoke with nearly a dozen sources who claimed Fukunaga “abused his power” as director to pursue younger women across the sets of his productions, including on Masters of the Air. Women described feeling uncomfortable with Fukunaga’s behavior, with one alleging his persistence bordered on workplace harassment. (Fukunaga generally denied the claims. When asked about allegations of pursuing romantic relationships with multiple young women on his sets, Fukunaga did not respond. Through an attorney, however, he claims that he has “not acted in any manner that would or should generate” an article on misconduct claims.)
Three Masters of the Air production sources claimed Fukunaga showed interest in at least three young women in the cast and crew during filming. In another instance, two production sources recalled Fukunaga having two background actresses who were dressed as 1940s prostitutes pose suggestively as he took photos of them. “It was way past the line,” one source said. “There’s no sort of argument … that it is OK in any way. It’s an absolute, clear-cut abuse of power.” (Fukunaga admitted he took pictures of the women, but his attorney said he takes photos of everyone on his sets and “[t]o imply anything improper about doing so is false and defamatory.”)
The first look at Masters of the Air was teased in Apple’s winter 2022 promo, yet Apple never announced a concrete date. It was expected to air later this year before it was finally announced for 2024.
Fukunaga, who has a first-look deal with Apple, has another project named Omnivore in the works with the studio. The food-focused docuseries is in collaboration with world-renowned Noma chef René Redzepi and was announced in February 2022. Fukunaga serves as a writer and executive producer, and although he was heavily involved in the pre-production process, Rolling Stone has learned that after the allegations broke last spring, he has not been majorly involved.
Asked about Fukunaga’s absence from Masters of the Air press materials, an Apple spokesperson pointed Rolling Stone to a generic series landing page that redirected to another tab with a table list of major cast and filmmakers. Fukunaga was not named in the official premiere announcement. A rep for Apple did not respond to Rolling Stone’s request for comment on Fukunaga’s involvement with Omnivore.
A rep for Fukunaga did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The director appears to have spent a significant amount of time over the past year in Ukraine documenting the war, according to his social media posts.
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