Is Twisters a Sequel or a Remake?

According to Twisters star Glen Powell, Universal's summer disaster film is not what audiences think it is. 

Set to release on July 19, Twisters is the first-ever follow-up to the hit 1996 film, Twister, and features an impressive roster of rising talent, including Glen Powell, Anthony Ramos, Daisy Edgar-Jones, and Superman: Legacy's David Corenswet. 

Following the film's first trailer drop during Super Bowl LVIII, the Top Gun: Maverick star set the record straight on Twisters' status and what to expect from this modern-day tornado hunt. 

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Glen Powell Debunks Twisters Sequel Status

When asked if Twisters is a sequel or remake to Bill Paxton and Helen Hunt's '90s film, Glen Powell confirmed to Vogue that it is "not a reboot" or a "continuation" but a "standalone story:"

"We just wrapped it a couple nights ago. It’s definitely not a reboot. We’re not trying to recreate the story from the first one. 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."

From what Universal shared about the 2024 blockbuster, Twisters shares a similar premise to the original in that it follows a team of storm chasers racing to test a new weather alert system. 

Where it differs is the new film's modern spin, specifically Glen Powell's character of Tyler Owens, a thrill-seeking storm-chaser whose fame stems from his social media following. 

Screenwriter Mark L. Smith echoed Powell's comments, telling Collider Twisters is "a separate story" and director Lee Isaac Chung "did this own thing" with the script:

“It’s a lot of fun. He did his own thing to the script a little bit because that’s what they do, so I don’t know about some of the changes exactly. So, I don’t know the details, but it’s a separate story. It’s not a continuation of the original. But it’s just a real wild ride with some good, fun characters.

While Twisters is its own separate story, and not a remake or sequel, Smith is aware of the 1996 film's "iconic" status and hopes to "tap into what the original had:"

"Hopefully, we can tap into what the original had because that thing is just iconic. But it’s so cool to have a director like Isaac taking on something like this. It’s just so out of his norm, and I think he’s having fun. I was texting with him a couple days ago, and it’s just all craziness of it.”

Despite the insistence that the new Twisters will stand separately from its predecessor, the latest trailer did reveal a key connection between the two installments.

In the original Twisters, four Dorothy devices were created by Helen Hunt's Jo Harding as a means to more accurately monitor and predict tornado patterns.

In the new Twisters trailer, a new Dorothy device can be seen clearly marked with a 'V' to represent the device being the fifth model, suggesting that Daisy Edgar-Jones's character is continuing the work from the first film.

Whether this reference will actually factor into the new film's connection to the original or will remain as a sly allusion remains to be seen.

Either way, Glen Powell is conscious of the legacy of 1996's Twister.

In continuing his conversation with Vogue, the Anyone But You star said, "Talking to people, they're like, 'That was one of my favorite movies:'"

"I don’t think anyone has brought up this movie in forever, but talking to people, they’re like, 'That was one of my favorite movies growing up. That movie terrified me.'"

But before he began filming the summer blockbuster, Powell credited Tom Cruise for knowing what makes large-scale movies, like the original Twister, resonate, and that's "what can connect with everyone:"

"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.'"

According to Powell, Twisters' tale of "humans versus weather" is relatable and a "universal idea" that everyone can connect with:

"And humans versus weather is a very universal idea—how powerless we really are in the face of these cataclysmic forces."

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Is the Twisters Title Too Misleading?

Given the film's title, Twisters, and how its poster even parallels the original, it makes sense for audiences to assume the 2024 movie is a sequel or even a remake. 

Hopefully, Glen Powell and Mark L. Smith's comments will clear up some of the confusion, but a future trailer would do well to clarify this fact and confirm that no original characters are expected to return.

Now, while some may be understandably disappointed by Twisters' lack of connections, Universal's decision to steer clear of past baggage is refreshing, especially in the middle of a sequel-heavy year at the box office. 

Allowing Twisters to be a standalone story may prove a huge boost in helping it achieve the heights of the original since the cast and filmmakers were free to tell a new, fresh story wholly grounded in the world of modern-day storm chasing. 

Twisters arrives in theaters on July 19.