Lee Isaac Chung In Talks to Helm Universal’s Twister Sequel

According to Deadline, Oscar-nominated filmmaker Lee Isaac Chung (Minari) is currently in early negotiations to direct Universal Pictures and Amblin Entertainment’s long-in-development sequel to the 1996 disaster film Twister. The outlet’s sources also note that casting hasn’t started yet, as the studios are shifting all their focus to making the deal with Chung happen.

Should the deal push through, this would be Chung’s first directorial effort since the successful critical reception of his A24 coming-of-age drama Minari. He was initially attached to direct the live-action adaptation of the hit Japanese animated film Your Name, but had to exit the project due to scheduling conflicts.

The Twister sequel will reportedly center around the daughter of Helen Hunt and the late Bill Paxton’s characters from the 1996 film, who has inherited her parents’ interest in twisters. Steven Spielberg flipped the screenplay based on a draft written by Mark L. Smith.

Directed by Jan de Bont, the first installment followed storm chasers Bill Harding and Dr. Joanne Harding, who are in the midst of finalizing their divorce. The pair reunites during a severe tornado outbreak in Oklahoma, where they’re able to test their weather-tracking device that would improve lead times on tornado warnings.

The film was both a critical and commercial success, with a worldwide gross of over $495 million at the box office. It also starred Cary Elwes, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Alan Ruck, Todd Field, and more.