Matthew McConaughey & America Ferrera Race Through Fire to Rescue Kids in ‘The Lost Bus’ Trailer [WATCH]

What happens when a raging inferno closes in, 23 kids are stranded, and the only way out is a school bus driven by a man barely holding his life together? You get “The Lost Bus.” Yes, Apple TV+’s heart-pounding survival thriller starring Matthew McConaughey and America Ferrera. Luckily for us, the network decided to drop its first trailer this week and immediately lit up the internet.

Based on Lizzie Johnson’s harrowing nonfiction book “Paradise: One Town’s Struggle to Survive an American Wildfire,” the film dramatizes the true story of the 2018 Camp Fire in Paradise, California. It became the deadliest wildfire in the state’s history. In the middle of it all? A schoolteacher who tried her best to put the children first, a broken bus driver, and terrified kids with no way out.

“I’ve made films about difficult subjects, but I always want them to be life-affirming and drive towards hope,” said director Paul Greengrass to Vanity Fair, who also helmed “Captain Phillips” and several “Bourne” films. “Because otherwise, what’s the point?”

A Lost Bus & a Blaze

McConaughey plays Kevin McKay, a working-class bus driver grappling with regrets when he overhears a call over the radio. “We’ve got 23 kids stranded at an elementary school,” the voice says. Without hesitation, Kevin jumps into action. That school just so happens to be where Mary Ludwig (Ferrera), a determined teacher, has stayed behind to protect her students.

“You’re telling me I should leave 23 kids behind?” Ferrera’s Mary says in the trailer, her voice cracking from smoke and resolve. The two team up for a race through hellfire, navigating gridlocked highways, falling trees, and an inferno that’s already claimed their town.

Adding to the film’s emotional depth is McConaughey’s real-life son, Levi, making his feature debut as Kevin’s son, and McConaughey’s mother, Kay, playing Kevin’s onscreen mother. Talk about keeping it in the family, literally.

A True Story, a Stacked Cast, & a Stellar Production Team

The ensemble includes Yul Vazquez, Ashlie Atkinson, and Spencer Watson. Behind the scenes, the powerhouse team includes:

• Paul Greengrass, director and co-writer
• Brad Ingelsby (Mare of Easttown), co-writer and producer
• Jamie Lee Curtis, producer via Comet Pictures
• Jason Blum, producer for Blumhouse Productions
• Gregory Goodman, producer
• Amy Lord and Lizzie Johnson, executive producers

Greengrass was determined to capture both the intimacy of the story and the scale of the disaster. He filmed most scenes using natural light during the 40-minute “magic hour” each day to replicate the eerie glow of wildfire smoke. “We got essentially three takes,” he said. “It gave them a rawness and immediacy—you felt like you were watching something real.”

Real firefighters, including Paradise’s own former fire chief, John Messina, were cast in the film, grounding the spectacle in lived experience. And the real-life Kevin and Mary? They were involved throughout, even visiting the set to lend authenticity.

When to Watch ‘The Lost Bus’

The film will have its world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival this fall. It then hits select theaters on September 19, followed by a streaming release on Apple TV+ on October 3.

If you thought “Captain Phillips” was intense, wait until you see a school bus barreling through California wildfire zones with zero backup. “The Lost Bus” is about more than just survival; it’s about resilience, community, and doing the right thing when everything’s burning down around you.

And honestly? That might be the exact kind of heroism we need on screen right now.

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