Credit: Twister (1996)
While disaster movies don’t typically get much praise from critics, they tend to do very well at the box office. Who doesn’t love some disastrous, action-packed carnage to kick your feet up and escape to? Well, good news – one disaster movie classic is getting a long-awaited sequel – and it’s safe to say we’re a little bit excited!
‘Twisters’ Heading to Hollywood
In 1996, Twister was released, and it was an absolute Summer smash. With a budget of 92 million dollars, it dominated at the Box Office and grossed a massive 494 million worldwide. Fresh off the success of Speed, filmmaker Jan De Bont directed the classic, and Bill Paxton and Helen Hunt headed the cast. Hunt and Paxton starred as Bill and Jo Harding, two advanced storm chasers on the brink of divorce who must work together when they find themselves in the crosshairs of an extreme tornado. The movie quickly became a cultural phenomenon and featured a stellar supporting class, including Cary Elwes, Todd Field, Philip Seymour Hoffman, and Jami Gertz.
Talks of a sequel have been circulating for years, but nothing was ever officially announced. Deadline reported in October that Universal Pictures and Amblin Entertainment were meeting with directors and hoping for a spring start in filming. The script for the sequel, Twisters, was written by Kari Lindsay, Conor Taylor, and Adam Clussman. After months of meetings and some turndowns from the likes of Joseph Kosinski (Top Gun: Maverick), it has now been reported that Oscar-nominated director Lee Isaac Chung will helm the movie.
Chung recently gained recognition in Hollywood after the release of his Oscar-winning drama Minari. Curious eyes and ears have been wondering what Chung will do next, and while Twisters may be a different shift in direction, we’re sure he has the chops for it.
Credit: Minari (2020)
The Cast and Release date of ‘Twisters’
With Bill Paxton sadly passing away in 2017 at 61, it is unsure yet if Helen Hunt will reprise her role. The Oscar-winning actress seemingly has no problem returning to her icon characters, though. Hunt returned to her role as Jamie Buchman in the Mad About You revival in 2019. So we can only hope she will return to another of her famous roles in Twisters. However, little is known about the cast at all as of now, but we can expect heaps of actors will be lining up to work with Chung after the success of Minari.
Frank Marshall (Raiders of the Lost Ark, Signs) will produce the movie with Warner Bros co-financing. It also looks like they are hoping to follow in its predecessor’s footsteps with a summer smash hit, as Twisters has been given a summer release date. The movie will open on July 19, 2024.
But What About Now?
If you want to mix things up this holiday season, switch off the Christmas movies and kick back with some disastrous carnage, then you can watch the original Twister movie on Hulu. Twister (1996) earned an Oscar for its dazzling visual effects and another for Best Sound. It has a 63% score on Rotten Tomatoes and a Metascore on IMDB of 68/100. If you haven’t seen it already, it’s well worth the watch!
Credit: Twister (1996)
Here are some other notable disaster films to watch if you’re feeling impatient…
2020 – starring John Cusack as a troubled writer desperately trying to keep his family alive when volcanic eruptions and earthquakes of unprecedented strength threaten to annihilate mankind.
The Day After Tomorrow – stars Dennis Quaid and Jake Gyllenhaal as father and son who find themselves fighting for their lives when an international storm plunges the planet into a new Ice age.
Independence Day is an all-time classic with a science-fiction spin on the disaster movie. This movie put Will Smith on the map as an actor to watch out for and has a stellar supporting cast, including Jeff Goldblum, Judd Hirsch, Bill Pullman, Vivica A. Fox, and Randy Quaid.
What’s your favorite disaster movie? We’d love to hear it!
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