How to watch The Lost Bus in New Zealand
Matthew McConaughey goes through a trial by fire in this new survival thriller.
From Captain Phillips and Jason Bourne director Paul Greengrass comes this harrowing but uplifting true tale of survival, based on actual events that took place during the 2018 Camp Fire—the worst wildfire in the history of California.
How to watch The Lost Bus in New Zealand
The Lost Bus is streaming in New Zealand exclusively on Apple TV+ from October 3, 2025.
What is The Lost Bus about?
Greengrass and co-screenwriter Brad Ingelsby adapt Lizzie Johnson’s 2021 book Paradise: One Town’s Struggle to Survive an American Wildfire. It’s the story of workaday bus driver Kevin McKay, who finds heroism thrust upon him when he winds up piloting a busload of shrieking kids and their teacher, Mary Ludwig, through an inferno Dante never dreamed of.
Greengrass excels at using documentary techniques to put us right in the heart of real world events, so expect this one to be harrowing. Albeit with a happier ending than United 93 and July 22.
The cast of The Lost Bus
Matthew McConaughey is down on his luck bus driver Kevin McKay; America Ferrera is dedicated school teacher Mary Ludwig; Yul Vazquez is Cal Fire battalion chief Ray Martinez; Ashlie Atkinson is Ruby, the bus depot dispatcher; Levi McConaughey is Shaun McKay, Kevin’s son; Kay McCabe McConaughey is Sherry McKay, Kevin’s disabled mother; with Kate Wharton, ; Danny McCarthy, Spencer Watson, and Gary Kraus in support.
The Lost Bus trailer
Why we’re excited about The Lost Bus
Look, you’ve got a horrifying but ultimately uplifting story of real-life struggle, Matthew McConaughey is relatable in everyman mode, there’s kids in peril, and top-notch dramatist Paul Greengrass is at the helm. The only real question is why this film’s not getting a theatrical release outside of the United States. This looks like a perfect popular drama, the sort of thing that used to reliably put bums in the cinema seats. But the couch will have to do…and we’re pumped.
