Santa Fe, NM—New Mexico Film Office Director Amber Dodson announced today that the feature film "The Lost Bus" is filming in and around Santa Fe, Española, and Ruidoso.
The production will employ over 2,500 New Mexicans - 480 crew members and 2,100 background talent.
Based on an original screenplay by Emmy Award®-winner Brad Ingelsby and directed by Paul Greengrass ("News of the World"), the film stars Academy Award®-winner Matthew McConaughey and Academy Award®-nominee and Emmy®, SAG®, and Golden Globe Award®-winner America Ferrera. The new dramatic feature is produced by Academy Award®-winner Jamie Lee Curtis' Comet Pictures, Jason Blum's Blumhouse, Ingelsby, and Greg Goodman.Â
"The Lost Bus" is an exhilarating dramatic thriller based on Lizzie Johnson's novel "Paradise: One Town's Struggle to Survive an American Wildfire." The novel is set during the disastrous 2018 Camp Fire, which became the deadliest fire in California history. The film will be told from the perspective of heroic bus driver Kevin McKay and schoolteacher Mary Ludwig, who helped navigate a bus full of children through a deadly wildfire as Paradise is caught in the destruction and chaos of the devastating wildfire.Â
"Thanks to our film incentive, talented workforce, and diverse locations, we welcome Director Paul Greengrass back to New Mexico, this time to tell a contemporary story set in California," Dodson stated. "This project will create thousands of jobs for New Mexicans, on and off set, and will showcase regions across the state, including Española and Ruidoso, bringing a positive economic impact to communities statewide."Â
New Mexico's film industry continues to grow, with a total economic impact exceeding $1 billion in 2024. Economic impact encompasses direct spending on productions, wages for crew members and actors, as well as indirect spending at hotels, restaurants, and other businesses that the industry supports.Â
For more information about the production, contactÂ
