Amblin and Universal have announced that they are developing a new Twister movie. Because of course they are.
Currently, the companies are in talks with Joseph Kosinski (Only the Brave, Top Gun: Maverick) to direct the future reboot (or sequel, its unclear) to the 1996 blockbuster.
No doubt it was tempting to see whether the studios could strike gold again with this property. The original–directed by Jan de Bont (Speed, Minority Report); written by Michael Crichton and his wife, Anne-Marie Martin; and starring the late Bill Paxton and Philip Seymour Hoffman, Helen Hunt, Cary Elwes, and Jami Gertz–has generated close to half a billion dollars worldwide on a huge-for-the-time $92 million budget. It was also nominated for two well-deserved Academy Awards (for sound and visual effects).
In fact, Twister set the standard for the mini-revival of disaster movies that emerged in the mid-1990s. Movies such as Independence Day, Volcano, Dante’s Peak, Armageddon, and Deep Impact benefited greatly from the positive buzz and audience goodwill surrounding Twister.
In the years since Twister, there have been only a few big-budget tornado movies. (And no, this doesn’t include the Sharknado series.) 2014’s Into the Storm (budget of $50 million) and 2017’s Geostorm (budget of $120 million) were modest hits despite receiving poor reviews, so perhaps it’s time for a new entry in the field. The loss of key members of the original cast, though, will present a particular challenge if a sequel is planned.
Frank Marshall will be producing the movie, and Universal is currently meeting with writers for the script.
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