Twister Director Says Sequel Can Never Live Up To Original
Jan de Bont, the director of 1996’s Twister, is excited about the upcoming, and highly anticipated sequel, Twisters, which is slated for a mid-2024 release. But in an interview with Inverse, he expressed guarded enthusiasm over the development, production, and delivery of the follow-up film that will take place after the events that played out in the original film.
One point of contention that de Bont has about the Twister sequel is how the multi-studio collaboration between Universal Pictures, Warner Bros. Pictures, Amblin Entertainment, and The Kennedy/Marshall Company will handle VFX for the film.
Jan de Bont is concerned with how Twisters will handle VFX for the film.
The Speed director’s primary concern is about how the action sequences will be shot and rendered in the upcoming big-budget sequel, which has a reported budget of $200 million.
Speaking of the special effects that were in the original Twister movie, starring Bill Paxton and Helen Hunt, de Bont suggests that the way in which he set up his shots “would never, ever happen again.”
He’s talking, of course, about the heavy use of practical effects that were supplemented through the use of VFX provided by George Lucas’ Industrial Light & Magic company. Through the innovative use of blending practical effects with computer-generated sequences, Twister forever altered our perception of what could be made possible through the art of filmmaking.
This is not to say that Twisters will pale in comparison to its predecessor, but rather that its look and feel will be considerably different from how Twister was produced in 1996. In other words, 27 years of technological innovation in the field of VFX will allow Lee Isaac Chung, Twisters’ director, to set up some brilliant shots through means of computer-generated imagery.
That will be different than fully leaning into the use of practical effects, or a hybrid of the two.
But despite potential differences in production, Stephen Spielberg was so enthusiastic about the script when it was presented to him, that it’s safe to say we’re in for a visually stunning masterpiece that will be legendary in its own right.
Though the upcoming sequel will center on a pair of storm chasers testing out an experimental weather alert system not unlike the original Twister, it will not be a direct sequel or a remake, but rather something entirely new according to some sources.
Twisters will center on a pair of storm chasers testing out an experimental weather alert system not unlike the original
There have been rumors that Twisters will take place after the events that took place in the 1996 film, so we can reasonably assume that the storytelling will at least occupy the same universe as the legendary disaster film. That is to say that Twisters will be taking a page out of the Twister playbook, but boast an entirely new cast while opening up a new chapter for the franchise.
Until an official trailer is released, we’re not certain how the two Twister films will be connected, if at all.
Slated for a July 19 2024 release, the Twister sequel will star Daisy Edgar-Jones, Glen Powell, and Anthony Ramos. Principal photography began this past May, but filming was suspended in July as a result of the ongoing SAG-AFTRA strike. As more developments emerge, we’ll be sure to stay up to date on any progress that is revealed to us in the coming months.
