Tom Hanks got Austin Butler his next role after Elvis to avoid "emotional whiplash"

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"If you just jump off the train, you might have emotional whiplash"

Tom Hanks and Austin Butler in Elvis
(Image credit: Warner Bros.)

Austin Butler threw himself so fully into his Oscar-nominated performance as Elvis that his co-star Tom Hanks (who played Elvis' manager, Colonel Tom Parker) was concerned about his mental health after the movie – and offered him his next role to keep him busy. 

"You have immersed yourself so deeply in Elvis that, for your mental health, it would be wise to go straight into something else," Hanks reportedly told Butler (via The Times). "If you just jump off the train, you might have emotional whiplash... And, you know, I’ve got this thing I’m producing."

That "thing" is Masters of the Air, a new Second World War drama series coming to Apple TV Plus. Made in collaboration with Hanks' and Steven Spielberg's production companies, the limited series is a sequel to the duo's previous small-screen offerings: 2001's Band of Brothers and 2010's The Pacific. Each of the previous series had large ensemble casts, and Masters of the Air is no different – Barry Keoghan, Callum Turner, and Fionn O'Shea are among the actors joining Butler as members of the 100th Bombardment Group of the US Air Force.

Butler is also set to star in sci-fi sequel Dune: Part Two, which is due to hit the big screen in November. He plays Feyd-Rautha, one of the sequel's antagonists, in a performance that his co-star Stephen McKinley-Henderson described as "chilling."

Masters of the Air doesn't have a release date yet, but the series is set to hit Apple TV Plus later this year. For more viewing inspiration, fill out your watch list with our picks of the other best Apple TV Plus shows. 

Emily Garbutt
Emily Garbutt
Entertainment Writer

I’m an Entertainment Writer here at GamesRadar+, covering everything film and TV-related. I help bring you all the latest news, features, and reviews, as well as helming our Big Screen Spotlight column. I’ve previously written for publications like HuffPost and i-D after getting my NCTJ Diploma in Multimedia Journalism.