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Glen Powell Calls Twisters a "Standalone" Movie That's Not a Sequel or Reboot
Twisters will be a "completely original story," according to one of its stars.
When Universal Pictures and Amblin Entertainment's weather-driven action sequel Twisters was revealed late last year, reports indicated that we were looking at some kind of legacy sequel, a film that would continue the story of the 1996 original in some form, with potential help from some of the original film's stars. Now, the more we hear about Twisters, the clearer it gets that we're in for a ride all its own.
Speaking to Vogue while promoting his new romantic comedy Anyone But You, Twisters co-star Glen Powell noted that the new film is a "standalone" movie that doesn't feature any real connection to the original and its characters, contrary to reports that the film would be a direct sequel.
Glen Powell Talks Twisters Being a "Completely Original Story"
“We’re not trying to recreate the story from the first one,” Powell said. “It’s a completely original story. There are no characters from the original movie back, so it’s not really a continuation. It’s just its own standalone story in the modern day.”
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Powell's comments come on the heels of similar remarks from screenwriter Mark L. Smith, who crafted the story for the new film which stars Powell, Daisy Edgar-Jones, Anthony Ramos, Kiernan Shipka, Maura Tierney, and more. Lee Isaac Chung, who broke through in a big way with Minari, is directing the film.
According to Powell, filming on Twisters just recently wrapped, setting the stage for the movie's planned summer 2024 release date. While it won't necessarily feature any major connective tissue linking it to the first film, which co-starred Helen Hunt and the late Bill Paxton, Powell did note that the upcoming next chapter is working within the same universal themes that made the original a hit.
“When I was working on Top Gun, [Tom] Cruise brought up a really interesting thing, where he’s like, ‘If you want to make movies of a certain size and scope and scale, you have to figure out what can connect with everyone around the world in every territory,’ “ Powell said.
RELATED: Tornado-Chasing Twister Sequel Lands 2024 Release Date
He added, “And humans-versus-weather is a very universal idea, how powerless we really are in the face of these cataclysmic forces.”
Released in May of 1996, Twister grossed nearly half a billion dollars worldwide, and continued its hot streak onto home video, including the just-launched DVD market. The film remains a staple of cable programming, and now ranks as a beloved childhood favorite for many adults heading to the movies themselves. It'll be very interesting to see if the new film can capture some of that original magic.
We'll find out soon enough. Twisters is set to hit theaters July 19, 2024.
