The Lost Bus is a suspenseful disaster drama that tells an inspiring true story within a tragic situation. Now streaming on Apple TV+, The Lost Bus centers on a heroic school bus driver who navigates a group of children and a teacher to safety during the 2018 Camp Fire, California’s deadliest and most destructive wildfire in the state’s history.

Directed by The Bourne Ultimatum‘s Paul Greengrass, the movie premiered at the 2025 Toronto International Film Festival and received positive reviews from critics, scoring an 85% on Rotten Tomatoes. It had a limited theatrical release in the U.S. on September 17 ahead of its recent streaming debut.

The film primarily focuses on the perilous bus ride, but also covers the firefighters who tried their hardest to contain the fire. While some of the details are fictionalized, a great cast comes together to portray many of these real-life heroes who stepped up when they needed to.

Matthew McConaughey As Kevin McKay

• Date of Birth: November 4, 1969
• Active Since: 1992

Actor: Matthew McConaughey was born in Uvalde, Texas, in 1969, and made his film debut in 1993’s My Boyfriend’s Back. His breakthrough role came in the same year in Richard Linklater’s Dazed and Confused. He’s worked with other notable directors like Christopher Nolan and Steven Spielberg, and won an Academy Award for his performance in 2013’s Dallas Buyers Club.

Previously In: Roger Sherman Baldwin in Amistad (1997), Mickey Haller in The Lincoln Lawyer (2011), and Cooper in Interstellar (2014).

Character: Kevin McKay is the bus driver who drove a group of 22 school children to safety during the 2018 Camp Fire near Paradise, California. A father of two, McKay previously worked at Walgreens, but quit and became a bus driver while pursuing a diploma to become a teacher. After the events of the fire, he now teaches at Fair View High School in Chico, California.

America Ferrera As Mary Ludwig

Photo of Mary Ludwig by Max Whittaker for The Washington Post

• Date of Birth: April 18, 1984
• Active Since: 2002

Actor: America Ferrera was born in Los Angeles, California, in 1984, and had her first film role in 2002’s Real Women Have Curves. Her breakthrough roles came in The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants and Ugly Betty, for which she won an Emmy. She also received an Academy Award nomination for her supporting role in 2023’s Barbie.

Previously In: Astrid in How to Train Your Dragon (2010), Amy in Superstore (2015-2021), and Jennifer in Dumb Money (2023).

Character: Mary Ludwig is a teacher who helped take care of and manage the children on the bus while McKay drove. She taught second grade at Ponderosa Elementary School, and is still teaching after the fire, now at Paradise Ridge Elementary School. She also has left Paradise a few times to travel around the world, as confirmed by the film.

The Lost Bus’ Supporting Cast & Characters

Yul Vazquez as Ray Martinez: Martinez is the California fire chief who oversees containment of the growing wildfire. He ultimately makes the decision to focus on rescuing efforts, rather than spending more resources on extinguishing the fire. Martinez is likely based on John Messina, who was chief during the 2018 fire.

Ashlie Atkinson as Ruby: Ruby is Kevin’s boss, and a bus dispatcher for the school district. She’s tough, but does her best to keep parents calm as they wait for the status of Kevin and Mary’s bus. She’s based on Ruby Hartwig, who was the bus dispatcher for Paradise at the time of the fire.

Levi McConaughey as Shaun McKay: Shaun is Kevin’s son who has a difficult relationship with his father. He primarily becomes Kevin’s inspiration to make it home as he’s trying to give him medicine for flu-like symptoms. The Lost Bus is Levi’s cinematic debut, following in his father’s footsteps.

Kay McConaughey as Sherry McKay: Sherry is Kevin’s mother who suffers from a chronic illness; Kevin is on his way to rescue her when he picks up the children. She’s played by Matthew’s real-life mother, who previously had a small role in 2011’s Bernie.

Spencer Watson as Elliott Hopkins: Hopkins is a firefighter who is seen helping people escape their homes when the fire first breaks out. He leads a group of civilians to a creek where they try to wait for rescue.

Kimberli Flores as Linda: Linda is Kevin’s ex-wife and Shaun’s mother. She is mainly heard on the phone, but is also seen briefly at the end of the film.

Release Date

October 3, 2025

Runtime

130 minutes

Director

Paul Greengrass

Writers

Paul Greengrass, Brad Ingelsby, Lizzie Johnson