The Lost Bus: Official trailer
The real-life hero who inspired Apple TV+’s new survival film The Lost Bus has embarked on a fresh career path in recent years.
Featuring Matthew McConaughey and America Ferrera, the gripping drama directed by Paul Greengrass tells the tale of a courageous bus driver who rescued 22 children from a catastrophic California fire.
The complete story is detailed in the 2021 book Paradise: One Town’s Struggle to Survive an American Wildfire by Lizzie Johnson, which caught the attention of actress Jamie Lee Curtis and prompted her to join the project as a producer.
After a limited cinema release in the US, The Lost Bus is now accessible for global audiences to stream on Apple TV+ from today, Friday, 3rd October.
But what has become of the actual driver Kevin McKay since then, and how faithful is the film to the true story?, reports the Mirror.
What happened to real-life hero Kevin McKay after saving 22 children from fire (Image: GETTY)
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Kevin McKay’s story
As portrayed in Greengrass’ film, Kevin left his hometown of Paradise, California after a row with his father, only to return home 25 years later when he received a call from his mother that his dad was dying.
Sadly, Kevin didn’t manage to get home to make amends with his father in time and he passed away in the summer of 2018.
This devastating loss spurred him on to better his life, both for the sake of his elderly mother and also to be a better father for his teenage son.
Determined to transform his life, he abandoned his secure position at Walgreens and returned to university to pursue a teaching qualification, securing employment as a school bus driver to cover his tuition costs.
Matthew McConaughey portrays bus driver Kevin McKay (Image: APPLE TV )
However, mere hours following his regular drop-off on 8th November 2018, a wildfire began ravaging the county and he received an urgent call from Ponderosa Elementary School to evacuate 22 children whose parents couldn’t collect them.
Alongside school teacher Mary Ludwig and kindergarten teacher Abbie Gerspacher-Davis, they navigated 30 miles through the blazing inferno over five gruelling hours with only one water bottle and a solitary fire extinguisher, ultimately ensuring every single child was safely returned to their families.
What is the real Kevin doing now?
Audiences who have been moved by Kevin’s tale portrayed in The Lost Bus will be delighted to learn that he completed his studies at California State University-Chico to obtain a degree in history alongside his teaching qualifications.
Now aged 47, he reportedly serves as an educator at Fair View High School in Chico.
The real Kevin is now a school teacher in Chico, California (Image: GETTY)
Kevin recently discussed with Action News the experience of witnessing his story transformed into a film.
“Hearing that it was going to become a Hollywood motion picture was surreal, but it was also an honour,” he revealed.
“I felt very included, I got to share my perspective and a lot of that perspective made it into the film.”
Regarding his personal circumstances, Kevin remains with his long-term partner Cari Green, whom he calls “the love of his life”.
The pair relish embarking on escapades together, including traversing mountainous terrain in dune buggies, as documented on his Instagram account.
Kevin speaks to CNN after the heroic rescue (Image: CNN)
How accurate is The Lost Bus?
Whilst the particulars of Kevin’s heroic efforts remain fairly true to what actually occurred, specific incidents have been excluded or heightened for dramatic effect to captivate viewers.
For instance, nursery teacher Abbie doesn’t feature in the production, which instead concentrates on the collaborative efforts between Kevin and Mary.
Particular aspects of the rescue have also been amplified to intensify the tension of this survival drama, including Kevin’s family’s location.
This gripping real-life drama is now available to stream (Image: APPLE TV )
Whilst the movie portrays the driver as being uncertain about his mother’s, son’s and girlfriend’s wellbeing as the blaze advanced, the actual Kevin had already guaranteed their safety at a local hotel that very morning.
He revealed to CNN: “That freed me up to focus completely on this terrifying situation.”
Although the production takes certain creative freedoms, during his conversation with Action News, the genuine Kevin emphasised that both Apple and director Greengrass were determined to make the film feel as “real and authentic” as possible, meaning numerous crucial scenes have been taken straight from his recollection of those dreadful events.
The Lost Bus is available to stream on Apple TV+.