"Band of Brothers is a ten-part television World War II mini-series based on the book of the same title written by historian and biographer Stephen Ambrose. It was co-produced by Steven Spielberg and Tom Hanks after their successful collaboration on the Academy Award winning World War II film, Saving Private Ryan (1998). The mini-series first aired in 2001 on HBO and still runs frequently on various TV networks around the world.
The mini-series centers on the experiences of E Company ("Easy Company") of the 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment, United States Army 101st Airborne Division and one of its officers, Richard Winters (played by Damian Lewis), from Easy's basic training at Toccoa, Georgia, through the American airborne landings in Normandy, Operation Market Garden, the Battle of Bastogne and on to the end of the war.
The events portrayed in the mini-series are based on Ambrose's research and recorded interviews with Easy Company veterans. A lot of literary license has been taken with the episodes, and other reference books will highlight the differences between recorded history and the film version. All of the characters portrayed in the mini-series are based on actual members of Easy Company; some of them can be seen in prerecorded interviews as a prelude to each episode (their identities, however, are not revealed until the close of the finale).
A new 10-part mini-series from the creators of Band of Brothers (Steven Spielberg, Tom Hanks, Gary Goetzman), called The Pacific, is in development. The new mini-series will focus on the Pacific Theater of Operations and the United States Marine Corps. The project is due out in 2009, although this is subject to change. " |
