Twisters Won’t Be a Continuation of Twister or Have Connections to Original

One of the more exciting sequels announced in recent years is Twisters, which is a continuation of the 1996 high-octane Twister, an experience that succeeded thanks in large part to its compelling ensemble cast. Fans have wondered how the upcoming film might connect to the debut film, with writer Mark L. Smith recently confirming that the new film serves more as a thematic sequel to Twister as opposed to an experience that directly connects to the events of the original. While the movie has apparently undergone some changes since its first inception, Twisters has always been its own story since its inception. Twisters is set to hit theaters on July 19, 2024.

“It’s a lot of fun. [Director Lee Isaac Chung] 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,” Smith revealed to Collider. “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.”

The original movie focused on a group of storm chasers attempting to deploy an all-new invention that could study tornados in ways never before possible, which put them right in the crosshairs of deadly tornados with deadly “suck zones.” Directed by Jan de Bont, Twister starred Bill Paxton, Helen Hunt, Alan Ruck, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Jami Gertz, Cary Elwes, and Jeremy Davies. Twisters looks to have also amassed an impressive ensemble, as it is set to star Daisy Edgar-Jones, Glen Powell, Anthony Ramos, Brandon Perea, Maura Tierney, Sasha Lane, Kiernan Shipka, and David Corenswet.

Twisters was originally developed by Joseph Kosinski, who developed legacy sequels with TRON: Legacy and Top Gun: Maverick, though Smith noted how even that earliest iteration of the concept was set to be a standalone experience.

“That was something that we had talked about and as we were writing it was like, ‘Oh, this would be a great moment if we wanted to add another element to it,’” Smith expressed. “But Joe had always kind of envisioned it as a standalone, that it wasn’t connected, and probably some of that was because after Top Gun it was like, ‘Okay, now let me have my original rather than just hitching on to the next.’”

Twisters is set to hit theaters on  July 19, 2024.

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