Find out where in New Mexico 'The Lost Bus' filmed

Early the morning of Thursday, Nov. 8, 2018, a faulty power line sparked the deadliest wildfire in California history.

An inferno that raged for more than two weeks, the Camp Fire spread across Butte County, engulfing the town of Paradise and decimating the communities of Magalia and Concow. The scale of the destruction was nearly unfathomable. Yet amid the unthinkable tragedy, stories of hope and heroism emerged. Among them was the tale of two strangers who, despite their differences and concern for their own families, risked their lives to work together and save others.

When Oscar-nominated director Paul Greengrass took the helm of “The Lost Bus,” he knew one place that could stand in for California’s terrain — New Mexico.

Greengrass says he felt the area could replicate northern California topography. “When the sun comes out, you believe it all,” Greengrass says. “You believe in this landscape. It’s setting up our characters in a real world, with real lives in a real community.”

“The Lost Bus” had a short run in theaters and beginning Friday, Oct. 3, is available to stream on Apple TV+.

Greengrass and Brad Ingelsby wrote the script, which is based on “Paradise: One Town’s Struggle to Survive an American Wildfire,” by Lizzie Johnson.

The film follows bus driver Kevin McKay, played by Matthew McConaughey, and elementary school teacher Mary Ludwig, played by America Ferrera, as they battle to save 22 children from the inferno.

Greengrass says the entire production benefitted from the first-hand accounts provided by people who lived through the terrifying events of that November day, including McKay and Ludwig.

“We had the opportunity to interview and meet many of the folks whose stories we focused on most heavily in the film, as well as those who had the expertise we needed to help make the film look and feel authentic,” says Greengrass.

In addition to McConaughey and Ferrera, the cast includes Yul Vázquez, Ashlie Atkinson and Spencer Watson. Two of the producers on the film are Jaime Lee Curtis and Jason Blum.

From the moment Curtis and Blum contacted Greengrass to pitch him, the filmmaker knew he wanted to make the film.

“I never really had doubts,” Greengrass says. “It was a story based on real people, and while you’re with them in the immediacy of their experience, it also enables you to dramatize larger themes without ever spelling them out. That appealed to me. Overall, I wanted to depict our burning world in a way that felt rooted in reality — not science fiction, not grandiose, but grounded. I wanted to personify the fire, to give it a face, a voice, and a sound, something I think comes through powerfully in the film.”

According to the New Mexico Film Office, the production filmed around Santa Fe, Española and Ruidoso. It employed over 2,500 New Mexicans, including 480 crew members and 2,100 background talent.

McConaughey and Ferrera were drawn to the film for different reasons.

McConaughey was drawn to the combination of world-weariness and moral fortitude he noticed in the man on the page.

“I wanted to build a character that had dynamics that turned me on,” McConaughey says. “I said to myself, ‘That’s something I’d like to sink my teeth into and try to pull off.’”

Meanwhile, Ferrera was drawn to Ludwig’s situation on the bus, making sure the students were safe while her sister was evacuating her own teenage son.

“I was drawn to the story of an ordinary woman being thrust into an extraordinary situation where the stakes couldn’t be higher for her or the children in her care,” Ferrera says. “Her journey toward finding the courage and strength to rise to the disastrous occasion felt both utterly human and like a superhuman feat.”

To establish this special dynamic between the bus driver and teacher, Ferrera says the pair, along with Greengrass, spent a great deal of time together on the bus, and a rapport quickly developed.

“We rehearsed everything in the bus and explored all the ways the environment of the bus could help us tell the story of their growing partnership,” she says. “I found Paul’s process to be dynamic and thrilling. He was always adapting to new information and searching for the best version of the scene. He’s a genuine collaborator who keeps everyone on their toes, and that’s exciting to me as an actor.”

New Mexico stands in for California in Apple TV+ drama 'The Lost Bus'