Tom Hanks is returning to World War II storytelling with a new HISTORY Channel docuseries called World War II with Tom Hanks. The 20-episode series will cover the full story of the war beginning with the rise of fascism before 1939 and continuing through the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki and the years after the war ended.
The series premieres on May 25 with a special three-episode Memorial Day launch. Tom Hanks serves as narrator and executive producer. Moreover, Hanks has often worked on World War II stories before and was part of movies and shows like Saving Private Ryan, Band of Brothers, The Pacific, and Masters of the Air.
But this new series is different. It will not focus on one group of soldiers or a single battle. Instead, it will tell the full story of the war, covering both the European front and the Pacific front.
What stories will World War II with Tom Hanks cover?
HISTORY says the series starts before World War II officially began. It shows how fascism and military power grew in Germany, Italy, and Japan during the 1920s and 1930s.
Then the documentary moves to Germany’s invasion of Poland in 1939, which began the war in Europe. Preview clips show Tom Hanks talking about the destruction of Poland in the early days of the conflict.
The series will also cover many big events from the war. These include Pearl Harbor, battles in the Pacific, D‑Day, the fall of Berlin, and the atomic bombings that ended the war in 1945.
HISTORY says the show will also look at what happened after the war ended. It will explore how World War II changed politics, countries, and everyday life around the world.
This makes the project much larger in scope than many of Hanks’ earlier WWII productions. Band of Brothers and The Pacific focused mostly on soldiers during combat. World War II with Tom Hanks aims to explain the entire conflict from beginning to end.
The series continues Tom Hanks’ long history with WWII stories
Tom Hanks has worked on World War II projects for many years. His part in Saving Private Ryan linked him with war stories in Hollywood. Later, he produced shows like Band of Brothers and The Pacific with Steven Spielberg.
The new HISTORY series follows the same theme. But this time, it focuses on real history instead of fictional stories based on true events.
HISTORY calls the series a “a sweeping, deeply human portrait of how the modern world was forged in the fires of global war”. It will use old footage and expert interviews to show both the battles and the everyday lives of people during the war.
According to Sky History, Hanks said,
“When I was a kid, every single caretaker in my life had a perspective of the war that was reminiscent of them talking about a great plague or a great flood. Their lives were divided into thirds: before the war, after the war and during the war.”
That personal connection has shaped many of Hanks’ past productions. It also appears to be an important part of this new documentary.
Why the new HISTORY series stands out
The series is one of HISTORY Channel’s biggest documentary events in recent years. Instead of telling just one war story, the show explains the full scale of World War II in 20 episodes.
The network says the series will use restored old footage and expert historical talks.
It will also show how the war changed countries all over the world, not only the battles themselves.
Some reports say the new HISTORY series is like a companion to Tom Hanks’ past World War II projects. The HISTORY Channel show is the newest part of Tom Hanks’ work on war stories.
But it is different from his past projects because it tells the whole war as a documentary, not as a drama. World War II with Tom Hanks will start on May 25 on the HISTORY Channel. More details about the episodes will be shared before the premiere.
Till then, follow Soapcentral for more updates on the show!
Also read: Which HBO drama does Tom Hanks call “It was fantastic”?
Edited by Subho Mukhopadhyay