Directed by Paul Greengrass, the survival thriller revisits the harrowing true story of a school bus driver’s courage during California’s deadliest wildfire
As California continues its long road to recovery from a devastating wildfire season, Apple TV+ is set to release a powerful new drama that captures the courage and chaos of the state’s most catastrophic blaze. The Lost Bus, directed by Paul Greengrass and starring Matthew McConaughey, is inspired by the true events of the 2018 Camp Fire, which claimed 86 lives and scorched more than 150,000 acres in Butte County.
The newly released teaser offers a gripping first look at McConaughey as Kevin McCay, a humble school bus driver who becomes an unlikely hero. With the fire raging and escape routes vanishing, McCay is faced with an impossible task: safely evacuating 23 children and their teacher, Mary Ludwig—played by America Ferrera—through an apocalyptic landscape of smoke, flames, and panic.
“The Lost Bus is the story of quiet heroism — of people coming together in the face of the unthinkable,” said Greengrass, known for emotionally charged thrillers like United 93 and Captain Phillips. “I’m honored to have been entrusted with this story.”
Joining McConaughey and Ferrera in the cast are Yul Vazquez, Ashlie Atkinson, and Spencer Watson. The screenplay, co-written by Greengrass and Brad Ingelsby (Mare of Easttown), draws from the critically acclaimed 2021 nonfiction book Paradise: One Town’s Struggle to Survive an American Wildfire by Lizzie Johnson, who also serves as an executive producer.
The film not only captures the split-second decisions and terrifying moments during the escape but also explores the emotional scars left behind in a community forever changed. Greengrass’s signature storytelling lens brings tension, intimacy, and humanity to a large-scale disaster that has left a lasting mark on American history.
The Lost Bus is produced by Brad Ingelsby, Gregory Goodman, Jason Blum for Blumhouse Productions, and Jamie Lee Curtis for Comet Pictures.
Set to premiere this fall in select theaters and on Apple TV+, the film is positioned as both a survival thriller and a tribute to everyday heroism under extraordinary circumstances.