Written by David Morgan

VIA:

 

The anticipated companion piece to 2001's Band of Brothers, The Pacific, may have found its primary actors. James Badge Dale (24, The Departed), Joe Mazzello (Jurassic Park), and Val Lauren (Dallas 362, The Salton Sea) will lead the ensemble cast of the new HBO miniseries. 

 

The miniseries will have ten, hour long episodes and will span the entire Pacific campaign of World War II, from the early conflicts to after V-J Day. Tom Hanks and Steven Spielberg will be the executive producers, as they were for Band of Brothers.

 

I wonder how this new series will fare. The political climate has shifted a bit since Band of Brothers. That series debuted in September 2001, when patriotism was probably the strongest it's been in decades. And Band of Brothers, while a very well-made mini-series in its own right, was nothing if not flag-waving. Today there's a bit more dissent and disillusionment. Is there that much more that this new series will fail? I don't know. Probably not, at least not as long as they make a quality product. Band of Brothers was a good show, but I think it certainly benefited a bit from its timing. Admittedly, that's a strange way to think about 9/11.