Overview

• Early reviews highlight Greengrass’s visceral, kinetic approach to disaster filmmaking, with practical wildfire staging and the flames treated as an on-screen antagonist.
• The narrative centers on driver Kevin McKay and teacher Mary Ludwick as they work to guide 23 students to safety in Paradise, California.
• The adaptation draws on reporting that includes Lizzie Johnson’s Paradise: One Town’s Struggle to Survive an American Wildfire.
• Coverage situates the film within the real Camp Fire’s aftermath, noting PG&E’s guilty plea to 84 manslaughter counts and a felony for unlawfully starting the blaze that killed 85 people.
• The release plan includes a limited theatrical opening on Sept. 19 followed by Apple TV+ streaming beginning Oct. 3.