Twister, arguably the preeminent weather-focused disaster film, is getting a sequel.
Monday, Deadline revealed in an exclusive report that Universal Pictures and Amblin Entertainment are meeting with potential directors for the brilliantly named Twisters, the script for which was penned by The Revenant and The Midnight Sky writer Mark L. Smith.
A number of potential directors for the sequel are mentioned in the report including Dan Trachtenberg (Prey), Travis Knight (Bumblebee), and the duo of Jimmy Chin and Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi (Return to Space). Joseph Kosinski (Top Gun: Maverick), meanwhile, was initially set to helm Twisters but exited the project due to obligations surrounding his upcoming Formula One drama starring Brad Pitt.
Though no official casting news has been publicly announced, sources surrounding the production have been cited as stating that the wheels are in motion with regards to trying to get Helen Hunt (who starred in the original Twister alongside the late Bill Paxton) to sign on for the sequel. As for the story behind Twisters, it’s said to focus on the daughter of Hunt and Paxton’s characters. The current aim is for production to start this coming spring.
Twister, directed by Jan de Bont, was released in May 1996 and swiftly became both a critical and commercial hit, ultimately earning a pair of Oscar nominations. The ensemble cast was rounded out by Jami Gertz, Cary Elwes, Alan Ruck, Jeremy Davies, and the late Philip Seymour Hoffman. The latter, of course, is responsible for one of the film’s most memorable and oft-quoted moments, i.e. the expertly delivered “fooooood” request seen below.
Also enlisted for Twister’s classic ensemble was Todd Field, who wrote and directed the recently released (and undeniably excellent) Tár starring Cate Blanchett. In a recent interview with Uproxx, Field credited his time on the Twister set with teaching him a number of “technical things” he still uses to this day.
