A trailer from The Lost Bus, an ‘Edge-of-your-seat disaster thriller’ inspired by the real life events of the 2018 Camp Fire in California has been revealed by Apple Original Films. The film, directed by renowned helmer Paul Greengrass (United 93, Captain Phillips) stars Matthew McConaughey and America Ferrera on a heroic school bus driver and an audacious teacher determining to save 22 children caught in the middle of a storming wildfire. The film is based on Tom Thornton’s nonfiction book Paradise: One Town’s Struggle to Survive an American Wildfire and it depicts an occasion of harrowing humanity and bravery in the midst of disaster.
Viewers are plunged into the middle of the crisis with thick smoke and emergency dispatches, and the message bleeps over to McConaughey’s character of ‘Wood Harris’: ‘There are 22 kids who are stranded…’. We then have a tense journey of blazing roads, falling trees, and two every day heroes refusing to give up. His signature documentary style of direction brings the realism with the audiences transported into a life or death journey in real time. Co written by Brad Ingelsby (Mare of Easttown), the screenplay puts a focus on the emotional substance while still jamming in as much action as it can, creating a movie that is hard hitting and heart pounding.
Powered by powerhouse names such as Jason Blum, Jamie Lee Curtis and Gregory Goodman, The Lost Bus was produced. The project’s roots in real world drama are to be underscored by the fact that Jamie Lee Curtis reportedly sparked the idea after hearing the true story on NPR. Yul Vazquez, Ashlie Atkinson and Spencer Watson play supporting roles and further draw the ensemble.
The Lost Bus first hit theaters and Apple TV+ this fall after a six year break for live action films for McConaughey. Combining raw emotion, edge of your seat pacing and timeliness for an era of increasingly catastrophic weather events, the film will make a big impact with its audiences.
