Apple drops first trailer for new survival thriller — and it just became one of my most anticipated movies of the fall

Tom's Guide

5 days ago

Director Paul Greengrass certainly knows how to create an adrenaline-fueled thriller movie. The British filmmaker helmed three entries in the 'Jason Bourne' franchise alongside the acclaimed 'Captain Phillips,' and now he's back in the survival genre via Apple TV Plus.
The director's new movie is called 'The Lost Bus' and it's set to arrive on Apple's streaming service later on October 3. It will also receive a limited theatrical release on September 19, which could indicate that Apple thinks it has an awards player on its hands.
The survival drama is set during the 2018 Camp Fire, which is noted as being the deadliest and most destructive wildfire in California history. It stars Oscar winner Matthew McConaughey alongside 'Barbie' alumna America Ferrera, who's an Academy Award nominee.
Between the two stars and the pedigree of the director behind the camera, 'The Lost Bus' is a pretty easy sell, and it's already one of my most anticipated streaming movies of the fall season. However, if you need more convincing, Apple just dropped the first official trailer.
This preview introduces McConaughey's character and sets the stakes as he's tasked with driving a bus full of schoolchildren through a blazing inferno while also attempting to reunite with his own son.
Meanwhile, America Ferrea plays the children's teacher who is also desperate to ensure the children in her care escape the fire unharmed.
In short, the trailer looks extremely intense. The closing shot, which shows the bright yellow school bus speeding down a fire-licked road, the forest on either side ablaze, is particularly striking.
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The two-minute trailer also hints at the movie's emotional pull as McConaughey's character reflects on being an absentee father and his desire to make amends for his previous parental failures.
Alongside the trailer, Apple has released an official synopsis for the upcoming movie:
'From director Paul Greengrass and inspired by real events, 'The Lost Bus' is a white-knuckle ride through one of America's deadliest wildfires as a wayward school bus driver (Matthew McConaughey) and a dedicated school teacher (America Ferrera) battle to save 22 children from the terrifying inferno."
It certainly sounds like a setup ripe for adrenaline-raising brushes with towering flames, and with Greengrass in the director's seat, viewers can expect a movie that gets increasingly intense across its runtime.
The fact that it's set during a real-world natural disaster will only make its dramatic moments all the more powerful as real people faced this wildfire.
Alongside McConaughey and Ferrea, 'The Lost Bus' also features Yul Vazquez, Ashlie Atkinson, Spencer Watson and Danny McCarthy. It's based on the novel "Paradise: One Town's Struggle to Survive an American Wildfire" by Lizzie Johnson, and written by Brad Ingelsby and Paul Greengrass.
'The Lost Bus' is set to start streaming on Apple TV Plus on October 3. In the meantime, if you need something gripping to watch to help pass the time, Netflix just added both seasons of a twist-filled sci-fi thriller series and it's managed a rare 100% score on Rotten Tomatoes.