The Lost Bus dropped its first trailer on June 8, 2025, showing Matthew McConaughey in his first live-action role in over six years. McConaughey appears in the trailer as a man looking at the beginnings of a wildfire catastrophe, promising a riveting and grounded survival drama for viewers. This has led many fans to wonder if the film’s story is based on a true story or a book. Here are all the details.
Is Matthew McConaughey’s The Lost Bus inspired by a true story and real events?
Yes, Matthew McConaughey’s upcoming survival drama is based on a true story. As the trailer suggests, the story will follow a bus driver’s attempts to get a school bus to safety during the 2018 Camp Fire, which was the most destructive fire in the history of the state.
The trailer for The Lost Bus gives a brief glimpse at all the big things to come, though the relatively short preview keeps a lot under wraps. In the movie, Matthew McConaughey attempts to save lives as he takes his bus through one of the most perilous paths imaginable.
Moreover, the trailer also gives a glimpse of the massive wildfire as it seems to consume everything.
Is The Lost Bus based on a book?
Yes, the movie is based on the 2021 book Paradise: One Town’s Struggle to Survive an American Wildfire by Lizzie Johnson. The book provides a comprehensive firsthand account of the deadliest and most destructive wildfire in California history.
“The definitive firsthand account of California’s Camp Fire—the nation’s deadliest wildfire in a century—and a riveting examination of what went wrong and how to avert future tragedies as the climate crisis unfolds,” the synopsis for Lizzie Johnson’s book reads.
Apple TV+ has not announced a release date for The Lost Bus yet.
