Jan de Bont, the director of the 1996 film “Twister,” recently shared his thoughts on the upcoming sequel being developed by Universal Pictures and Amblin Entertainment. In an interview with Inverse, de Bont expressed that he was not consulted about the new movie and believes it will be vastly different from his version, primarily due to advancements in visual effects technology.
According to de Bont, in the original “Twister,” real objects were used during the filming process. For example, when things fell from the sky, they were real objects dropped from a helicopter. If a car was shown escaping a tornado in a hail storm, real ice was used. De Bont states that these practical effects cannot be replicated in the same way today, making it nearly impossible to remake the original film. He also mentioned that capturing each shot was challenging and time-consuming, as they had to transfer all the information onto film, which was a slow process. However, de Bont recognized that technology has since improved, making the film-making process faster and more efficient.
“Twister,” starring Helen Hunt and Bill Paxton, followed a couple who chased storms and tracked a massive tornado. The sequel, directed by Lee Isaac Chung, will be a “new chapter” in the story with entirely new characters and takes place after the events of the first film. The cast includes Daisy Edgar-Jones, Glen Powell, and Anthony Ramos. While de Bont respects Chung as a director, he hasn’t yet decided if he will watch the sequel and wants someone else to see it first.
De Bont also expressed some skepticism about the trend of indie filmmakers quickly transitioning to big studio projects. He believes studios hire younger, less experienced filmmakers to have more control over their vision, despite surrounding them with a talented team of ADs, writers, producers, and cinematographers. From personal experience, de Bont knows that ultimately, the studio will have the final say in what makes it into the film.
Related Post
The sequel, titled “Twister,” directed by Lee Isaac Chung, is scheduled to be released on July 19, 2024.
