The director of the 1996 blockbuster “Twister,” Jan de Bont, recently gave his thoughts about the film’s upcoming sequel. While the followup has allegedly been in the works for awhile, he says he was not consulted about it. He also believes that the film “cannot be remade.”
Bont revealed he wasn’t consulted about the upcoming sequel film. He believes Universal Pictures and Amblin Entertainment’s new “Twister” take will be completely different due to changes in visual effects technology.
“When things fell from the sky, there were real things falling from a helicopter,” Bont said. “If you film a car escaping a tornado in a hail storm, it was real ice that came at us. It’s a movie that cannot be remade.… That would never, ever happen again.”
Every shot they got “was a fortune” because “it would take three days to transfer all that information onto film. Right now it’s fast, but in the beginning, it was super slow. And we had to be so careful to get the shots done before the movie opened.”
While that may sound like a cheaper and more efficient way of shooting (because it is). Bont does make a point that performers reacting to real items and elements on set looks very different from reacting to CGI. No matter how much they commit, there seems to always be something missing in the final product. That’s not to say all CGI is bad, it just gives a differnt feel.
The original “Twister,” follows an estranged storm-chasing couple (Helen Hunt and Bill Paxton) who reunite to track a massive storm. The follow-up is directed by Lee Isaac Chung. It will reportedly take place after the events of the first film, with an entirely new cast of characters played by Daisy Edgar-Jones, Glen Powell (“Top Gun: Maverick“), and Anthony Ramos (“Hamilton,” “In The Heights“).
Bont was also very clear that he has a lot of respect for Chung, and enjoys his 2020’ film, “Minari.” Even with that said, he still isn’t sure if he will see the sequel. “I want to have somebody else see it first,” he said.
The seasoned director parted with an important warning for indie filmmakers who take on studio projects.
“Don’t forget that the main reason they’re finding younger, inexperienced people is they want to be able to fully control them,” Bont said. “They want them to have really good ADs, writers, producers, cinematographers so that they have all the help they can get. But ultimately, the studio is going to tell them what’s in the movie. I know that firsthand.”
The “Twister” sequel is set to hit theaters July 19, 2024.
