Fresh off her Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actress, America Ferrera is turning up the heat with a leading role opposite Matthew McConaughey in Paul Greengrass’s wildfire drama The Lost Bus. Ferrera’s powerful performance as Gloria in Greta Gerwig’s Barbie is turning heads in the entertainment industry, and the Ugly Betty star is ready to get back in front of audiences for another role that’s sure to garner attention.

Greengrass’s new project hails from Comet Films and Blumhouse, with Apple Original Films in charge of distribution. Brad Ingelsby adapted the script for The Lost Bus from Lizzie Johnson’s novel Paradise: One Town’s Struggle to Survive an American Wildfire. The story centers on the 2018 Camp Fire, California’s history’s deadliest and most destructive wildfire. Named after Camp Creek Road, the fire began on November 8, 2018, in Northern California’s Butte County. The blaze started when a faulty electric transmission line malfunctioned.

As for The Lost Bus, Greengrass’s feature will tell the story through the eyes and experience of Kevin McKay, a brave bus driver, and Mary Ludwig, a school teacher who helped navigate a bus full of children through the wildfire as the blaze crept toward the town of Paradise. The devastating fire killed 85 people and destroyed the majority of Paradise.

People working on the project behind the scenes are excited about the endeavor, with production coming from Jamie Lee Curtis’ Comet Pictures, Jason Blum’s Blumhouse, Ingelsby, and Greg Goodman. Meanwhile, Johnson and Amy Lord executive produce. Curtis became interested in the project after hearing Lizzie Johnson speak on NPR. She immediately read the book and brought the idea to Blumhouse. The studio then gave the script to Greengrass, who immediately gelled with the concept. While smoke for the film started in 2022, the WGA and SAG-AFTRA strike delayed production. With the strikes behind us, the mission is to land a studio and begin production on The Lost Bus.

The harrowing tale of The Lost Bus provides America Ferrera with plenty of space to spread her dramatic acting wings, with Matthew McConaughey as a solid co-star to share the screen. I remember the Camp Fire of 2018 like it was yesterday. It was a terrifying ordeal with unprecedented fire damage, reducing portions of Paradise to cinders. Are you excited to check out The Lost Bus? Will Ferrera and McConaughey have great chemistry? Let us know what you think in the comments below.

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