That Twister Sequel Has Found A Director In Minari's Lee Isaac Chung
The upcoming sequel to 1996's "Twister" may have found its director according to Deadline, and the filmmaker in talks is none other than Lee Isaac Chung, who helmed "Minari." According to the outlet, the search for a director to head up the Universal Pictures and Amblin Entertainment-made film "Twisters" has been extensive, with the Academy Awards-nominated filmmaker currently in talks to take on the role.
Chung's past works may not seem like an obvious fit for a movie about tornado-chasing, but the filmmaker certainly has an impressive track record. He's best-known for "Minari," the quiet, Steven Yeun-led family drama that won the Grand Jury Prize at Sundance and later went on to earn Youn Yuh-jung an Oscar. But Chung has several acclaimed films under his belt, including his 2007 debut "Munyurangabo," a Rwanda-set film about a friendship set within the aftermath of the Rwandan genocide.
Will Twisters be a tearjerker?
If Chung is on board for the Warner Bros. co-financed film "Twisters," it'll be interesting to see if the film turns out to be as much about its familial relationships as it is about chasing storms. Deadline reports that the script from Mark L. Smith ("The Revenant") will follow the daughter of Helen Hunt and Bill Paxton's characters, who has taken an interest in tornado-chasing herself. The movie is described as a drama, and the outlet reports that execs, including Amblin's Steven Spielberg himself, is enthusiastic about the current script.
"Top Gun: Maverick" filmmaker Joseph Kosinski was originally eyed to direct the film, but ended up landing a different project instead. Hunt's name has also been tossed around in relation to the film — after all, her character is a major character in the script, per Deadline — but the actor's involvement has not been officially confirmed yet and no stars are attached to the project as of publication time.
"Twister" was a definite hit when it debuted in 1996, earning nearly $500 million at the global box office according to The Numbers. The movie wasn't quite as critically beloved, but in retrospect, it's worth watching for great performances from Hunt and Paxton as storm-obsessed exes who rekindle their romance while on the trail of a massive storm. Still, news of a "Twister" sequel that arrives decades after the original — and years after Paxton's passing — came as a total surprise. Chung's potential inclusion in the project makes it all the more intriguing, though, given that the filmmaker certainly knows how to inspire a hurricane's worth of tears.
"Twisters" does not yet have a release date.