Apple TV+ lands another huge Oscar-winner as the lead in its new movie

When it comes to announcing new series and movies coming to one of the best streaming platforms, you can bet your bottom dollar that said streamer always wants a big name to hang things on. If it can boast about awards that the actor or director in question has won, that's even better.

So, Apple TV+ has played a bit of a blinder with its recently dropped teaser for The Lost Bus, which will arrive at some point, without a release date yet announced. Not only does it feature the Oscar-nominated America Ferrera, with Oscar-nominated director Paul Greengrass helming the production, but it also stars Oscar-winner Matthew McConaughey in what looks like a stressful role.

The Lost Bus — Official Teaser | Apple TV+ - YouTube

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He plays a bus driver stuck in a terrible predicament when a raging wildfire puts the lives of a whole class of schoolchildren at risk. Apple TV+ says the film is inspired by real events, and it's possible to piece together some plot clues from what is a very short teaser trailer.

The official blurb for the movie calls McConaughey's character a "wayward school bus driver", and at one point in the trailer, he looks back at his empty bus with a pretty mournful expression while the radio chatters about kids who haven't been picked up. Is it possible that the kids who've been stranded in the fire's path were those he was supposed to have picked up earlier in the day?

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That would explain why he's willing to spring into action to perform what might be a hugely daring rescue – with one short glimpse of his bus driving through a hellscape of flame-scorched landscape with the fire still raging all around. I don't want to spoil anything (and don't know the original story), but Apple's blurb also mentions saving 22 children, while the radio in the trailer talks about 23 of them – so there could well be a measure of tragedy to come.

Still, for now we don't have an indication of when the movie will hit Apple TV+, or indeed whether it'll also appear in cinemas. I'd wager a 2025 release date is all but guarantee either way, but there's nothing other than my gut feeling to back that up.