“The Lost Bus,” Depicting the 2018 Camp Fire, to Premiere on Apple TV

PARADISE — Following a premiere at the 2025 Toronto International Film Festival and a limited theatrical release, The Lost Bus will premiere globally on Apple TV on October 3. Starring Matthew McConaughey and produced by Jamie Lee Curtis, the film follows a school bus driver attempting to navigate children and a teacher safely through the 2018 Camp Fire, the deadliest fire in California history.

The Lost Bus is based on a true story detailed in Lizzie Johnson’s book, Paradise: One Town’s Struggle to Survive an American Wildfire. Bus driver Kevin McKay responded to an emergency call requesting the pickup of 22 students from Ponderosa Elementary School. The students’ teacher, Mary Ludwig, is also portrayed in the movie. Mrs. Ludwig accompanied the children on the bus, helping to make improvised masks out of McKay’s shirt when smoke filled the vehicle, according to a report by CBS News. McKay drove the children more than 30 miles to safety. Although many of the students, as well as McKay, lost their homes in the fire, all survived.

The Lost Bus was received well in its limited release, currently with an 84% critic score and 86% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes. While critics note that the film has a dramatized “disaster movie” feel, they generally agree that it is an exhilarating depiction of the blaze, effectively portraying an inspiring and heroic moment in the tragedy.