Amblin and Universal spooling up 'Twister' sequel some 25 years in the making

Get ready for another big legacy sequel. Deadline reports that the 1996 blockbuster Twister is becoming the latest hit film to get the years-later follow-up treatment with Twisters, a modern-day big-screen follow to the original film that's been a basic cable staple for 25 years. 

Universal Pictures and Amblin Entertainment are gearing up to launch production on the new film by next year, with a hunt for directors now underway. The project gained serious momentum when Steven Spielberg himself expressed enthusiasm about the script by The Revenant writer Mark L. Smith.

While Top Gun Maverick director Joseph Kosinski was originally attached, he's too busy with other projects, so the hunt for a new helmer is on. According to Deadline's report, Free Solo directors Jimmy Chin & Elizabeth Chai Vaserhelyi are in the hunt, as is Kubo and the Two Strings filmmaker Travis Knight. Prey director Dan Trachtenberg was also named as a possibility, but Trachtenberg has since taken to Twitter to deny his involvement.

The new film is reportedly hoping to coax original star Helen Hunt back for the sequel, which would follow her character, storm chaser Jo Harding, as she navigates life with the daughter she had with husband Bill, played in the original by the late Bill Paxton. Jo and Bill's daughter is apparently going into the family business as well, setting the stage for another high-stakes round of tornado chasing across the American Plains. The original film also starred the late Philip Seymour Hoffman, Alan Ruck, Todd Field, Scott Thomson, Jeremy Davies, and more as Jo and Bill's storm chasing crew. 

Released in May of 1996, Twister went on to earn nearly half a billion dollars worldwide (and that's in 1996 money) thanks to its visual effects-laden spectacle and blend of action and comedy. The film was famously the first major DVD release, and has since become one of the blockbusters in regular rotation across cable networks, making it ubiquitous and ensuring that it's still earning fans. It'll be interesting to see how Twisters comes together, particularly when it comes to casting. 

In the mood for some inclement weather and high-stakes action? Christmas Twister is now streaming on Peacock!