More than 25 years after Twister scooped up $500M and became a disaster thriller classic, Hollywood is finally moving on a sequel. There have been attempted reboots (one with Top Gun: Maverick‘s Joseph Kosinski) and remakes before, but last year we learned that Universal Pictures and Amblin Entertainment were teaming up for Twisters, which they hope will hook a new generation of storm chasers.
In somewhat surprising news, Deadline reports that Minari director Lee Isaac Chung is in talks to direct Twisters. Talk about taking on an entirely different challenge! Chung broke out in 2020 with his quiet, semi-autobiographical drama about a South Korean family in rural America. The film earned six Oscar nominations, with Chung nominated for Best Director.
According to the report, producers think Chung is the man for the job, based on his experience as a kid hiding in storm cellars from tornadoes will living in rural Arkansas. Perhaps the sequel won’t involve storm chasing, but people just trying to survive?
The Twisters screenplay is by The Revenant writer Mark L. Smith, with Frank Marshall producing. With Bill Paxton and Philip Seymour Hoffman both gone, only Helen Hunt is left who can reprise a lead role, but it’s unclear if she or anyone else will return. Probably not. Twisters seems like an entirely new beast, and that’s could be for the best.
