Twisters screenwriter Mark L. Smith explains how the upcoming sequel is related to the 1996 original movie. Directed by Jan de Bont, Twister stars Bill Paxton and Helen Hunt as two storm chasers attempting to learn more about a deadly tornado. It was announced last year that a sequel is in development, with Minari director Lee Isaac Chung then confirmed as the project’s director.
With the Twisters 2024 release date inching closer, Smith reveals in an interview with Collider that the sequel won’t be a direct continuation of story threads from the original. While the screenwriter doesn’t reveal whether any original characters will be returning, it sounds like the follow-up is closer to a remake or reboot than a real sequel. Check out Smiths’ full comment below:
“It’s a lot of fun. He did his own thing to the script a little bit because that’s what they do, so I don’t know about some of the changes exactly. So, I don’t know the details, but it’s a separate story. It’s not a continuation of the original. But it’s just a real wild ride with some good, fun characters.
“Hopefully, we can tap into what the original had because that thing is just iconic. But it’s so cool to have a director like Isaac taking on something like this. It’s just so out of his norm, and I think he’s having fun. I was texting with him a couple days ago, and it’s just all craziness of it.”
A Struggling Movie Genre Could Finally Be Saved by This 2024 Sequel
A new sequel to the 1997 disaster film Twister could spawn the revival of a genre that has struggled for 20 years following its success in the 1990s.
Why Twisters’ Latest Update Is For The Best
While 1996’s Twister remains a fun disaster movie, it hasn’t exactly penetrated the culture of today in a major way like some other ’90s movies have. The story is enjoyable, the characters are charismatic, and it features some great practical effects, but it’s not a tale that really felt like it needed a continuation. Plus, it’s been 27 years since the original movie came out, and creating a direct follow-up so many years later could result in some confusion from younger audiences.
It might be for the best, then, that Chung’s sequel stands on its own two feet as its own story. The Twisters cast features rising stars like Glen Powell, Kiernan Shipka, Daisy Edgar-Jones, Anthony Ramos, and Sasha Lane, all of whom have some exciting projects under their belt. It remains to be seen how they all interact on screen, but purely from a star-power perspective, the new movie is looking promising.
With the film not serving as a direct continuation, it would be fair to question why it’s called Twisters. Hollywood is in the midst of a major reliance on existing IP, and a connection to a mostly-well-received movie may help get audiences to theaters and make the film easier to market. This strategy hasn’t always paid off, however (see Blade Runner 2049 and Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny), but it will nonetheless be interesting to see whether Twisters can carve its own path as an exciting disaster movie.
Twisters
A follow-up to the 1996 original film Twister, Twisters is a sequel set years after the original, said to be fast-tracked by Steven Spielberg and Mark L. Smith, with Frank Marshal as producer. Little details exist about the film, but Helen Hunt is expected to reprise her role as Jo, with the film likely to pay homage to the late Bill Paxton.
- Release Date
- July 19, 2024
- Director
- Lee Isaac Chung
- Cast
- Daisy Edgar-Jones , Glen Powell , Anthony Ramos , Brandon Perea , Daryl McCormack
- Rating
- Not Yet Rated
- Genres
- Action , Adventure , Thriller
- Writers
- Mark L. Smith
- Studio(s)
- Universal Pictures , Warner Bros. Pictures , Amblin Entertainment , The Kennedy/Marshall Company
- Distributor(s)
- Universal Pictures , Warner Bros. Pictures
- prequel(s)
- Twister
