bodyType

customContents

entityId

entityUuid

articlePageQuery

filter

article

articleBaseAdvertisingInfoArticle

articleListArticle

articleSeoArticle

helpersCheckIsPostiesArticle

hooksArticleAcknowledgementGateOverlayArticle

hooksTrackPageViewArticle

hooksContentInterestArticle

articleLinkingDataContent

articleSchemaContent

liveArticle

advertZone

sentiment

contentLock

topics

types

sections

moreOnThisArticles

urlAlias

commentCount

sponsorType

authorLocations

authors

paywallTypes

corrections

displaySlideShow

multimediaEmbed

printHeadline

seriesContainer

socialHeadline

headline

flag

firstTopic

glossary

flattenTypeIds

publishedDate

additionalInfoBoxes

images

image

relatedLinks

relatedNewsletters

__typename

createdDate

sponsor

factSheets

series

disableOffPlatformContent

published

updatedDate

summary

subHeadline

body

keywords

copyrighted

customTimezone

liveContents

James Marsh

Four years after tearing through the independent film scene with his Korean-language coming-of-age drama Minari, Oscar-nominated filmmaker Lee Isaac Chung is back in the director’s chair with Twisters, an action-packed, high-stakes summer blockbuster set in the dangerous world of tornado chasers.
A belated sequel to 1996’s Twister, which was penned by Jurassic Park author Michael Crichton, the new film boasts a dazzling ensemble cast, headlined by Daisy Edgar-Jones, Glen Powell and Anthony Ramos.
Twisters might appear to be the antithesis of the carefully considered family portrait that earned Chung global acclaim, but the decision was a no-brainer to him.
“I wanted to dive into doing something completely different and do a summer blockbuster,” the director tells the Post. “That’s always been a dream of mine.


“I grew up on Amblin movies and to be able to do one, executive produced by Steven Spielberg, I was over the moon. I ran for this chance.”
Amblin Entertainment was founded by Spielberg in the early 1980s and quickly became synonymous with big-budget, family-friendly escapist fantasies including E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial, The Goonies and Back to the Future.

Twisters falls comfortably into that mould, delivering a crowd-pleasing spectacle at a level that remains suitable for a family audience, and increasingly a global one.
“The beauty of these movies is that we are really trying to reach as many audience members across the board as possible. With Twisters it’s a unique film because it can be a family film in many ways.
“I just tried to keep in mind that there will be people all over the world who might be interested in this film and to work on that level where I’m thinking more of a global audience.
“It helped me feel that I was part of something bigger than myself. Thematically the movie is about these events that are so much bigger than humanity, so working in that dichotomy was somehow very interesting and invigorating.”
That film really just makes you want to chase tornadoes with a group of friends. I wanted that vibe with this film too
Lee Isaac Chung, on emulating aspects of the original Twister film
Chung, who is of Korean descent, was born and raised in middle America and so has first-hand knowledge of the film’s rural setting and how such places are often at the mercy of the elements, not least the types of volatile weather events dramatised in the film.
“I grew up on a farm, so there are many details that I was putting into the film that were very personal. I also grew up around a lot of weather, right in that area of tornado alley.
“Just the memory of that, that awe and reverence that people have for nature and for weather, I wanted to inject that into this movie.”
Chung’s involvement in the project also proved to be a major factor when casting, not least for Edgar-Jones.
The 26-year-old British actress, who is associated with heftier dramatic roles such as in Where The Crawdads Sing and Under the Banner of Heaven, plays Kate Cooper, a meteorologist and storm chaser who left the game following a tragedy.

Five years later she is convinced to return by an old friend (played by Anthony Ramos), and is soon thrown back into the eye of the storm. Edgar-Jones says it was Chung who convinced her to make her first foray into big-budget filmmaking.
“This is my first rodeo into this big world of blockbusters and what made me take the plunge was Isaac,” she says. “I was such a huge fan of Minari, and so curious to see what interested him.
“He was so inspiring and exciting. I just want a director that can do everything and try their hand at everything but always root stuff in truth and character, and so for me, as an actor, I thought that would be an amazing thing, to be in something of this scale but also play a character that had complexity and truth to it, and this film gave me all of that.”
The film’s other lead performer, Glen Powell, is having something of a moment right now following breakout turns in Top Gun: Maverick, Anyone But You and Hit Man.

He puts in another effortlessly likeable performance, this time as cocksure celebrity tornado wrangler Tyler Owens, and is similarly enthusiastic in his praise for Chung.
“Isaac is a unicorn,” Powell says. “He’s so singular. I can’t imagine this film being directed by anyone else, it’s really his entire personal history of growing up in Arkansas, within this community, and his experiences with these weather phenomena, and just his ability as a filmmaker.
“He’s one of the more emotionally intelligent filmmakers I’ve ever worked with. Isaac’s truly in a league of his own.”
As was the case with its 1996 predecessor, the cast of Twisters runs deep with accomplished performers on the cusp of breakout success.
David Corenswet, soon to be seen as Superman in James Gunn’s forthcoming reboot, Katy O’Brian (Love Lies Bleeding), Brandon Perea (Nope) and James Paxton – son of original star Bill Paxton – are just a few.

“I was very honoured by the people who came aboard this film, even if their screen time is not as much as they would normally get,” Chung says. “I told them from the start that I was going to really give them a lot of freedom to individualise themselves on screen in the same way that Twister did with all those characters.
“Also, that film really just makes you want to chase tornadoes with a group of friends. I wanted that vibe with this film too.”
Want more articles like this? Follow SCMP Film on Facebook


Gladiator II movie review: Paul Mescal leads Ridley Scott’s gory swords-and-sandals sequel

Meet Leonardo DiCaprio’s fascinating parents, George and Irmelin: the actor’s mum was born in a German air raid shelter during WWII, while his dad was a beatnik and comic book writer in 1960s New York

Gladiator II: Denzel Washington, Paul Mescal shine in Ridley Scott’s epic, big-budget sequel that has critics raving

Meet Justine Lupe, aka Kristen Bell’s sister in Nobody Wants This: the breakout star was pregnant while filming the Netflix show, and was also in Succession and The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel

American cinema

Twisters director Lee Isaac Chung on making  tornado film sequel with Glen Powell ‘personal’

Lee Isaac Chung on the set of Twisters. Photo: Melinda Sue Gordon

Lee Isaac Chung with Daisy Edgar-Jones on the set of Twisters. The Korean-American director talks about drawing on his experiences with extreme weather in the American Midwest to make the summer blockbuster. Photo: Melinda Sue Gordon


Chung on the set of Twisters. Photo: Melinda Sue Gordon

Daisy Edgar-Jones and Glen Powell in a still from Twisters.

Powell and Chung on the set of Twisters. Photo: Melinda Sue Gordon

A still from Twisters, for which Chung channelled some of his experiences growing up around extreme weather in the American Midwest.

AI moviemaking: Bucheon film festival ponders its future, and runs AI short-film contest

A still from AI-generated feature film Who Said Death Is Beautiful? Photo: Rain Trail Pictures

Detail of a still from an AI-generated short film commissioned by the Bucheon International Fantastic Film Festival (BiFan)  as the trailer for its 2024 edition, which includes a competition for such films. Photo: BiFan

A still from the AI-generated feature-length Japanese animation Who Said Death is Beautiful?

 Festival director Shin Chul at the opening of BiFan+. Photo: BiFan

A still from Snowfall, a 10-minute short film by Bae Junwon, in the BiFan 2024 AI film competition.

A panel discussion during the AI International Conference at the 2024 Bucheon International Fantastic Film Festival.

A still from Where Do Grandmas Go When They Get Lost?, a two-minute short film by Leo Cannone, in the BiFan 2024 AI film competition.

Customs Frontline’s Nicholas Tse on adding action director to his CV and his ‘real’ stunts

Nicholas Tse at the Far East Film Festival in Udine, Italy. Photo: Alice BL Durigatto.

Nicholas Tse in a still from Customs Frontline. The Hong Kong actor, who got his first action director credit for his work on the Herman Yau movie, tells the Post how he engineered stunts in a “traditional” way to make “a true action film”.

Nicholas Tse on the set of Customs Frontline filming a stunt involving a shipping container.

Nicholas Tse slides from the container onto a car on the set of Customs Frontline.

Tse performs a stunt on the set of Customs Frontline.

Tse (front) and German Cheung Man-kit in a still from Raging Fire.

Nicholas Tse (front) and Jacky Cheung in a still from Customs Frontline.

Tse (left) and Jackie Chan in a still from New Police Story (2004).

Tse (left) and director Herman Yau at the 2024 Far East Film Festival. Photo: Alice BL Durigatto

Nicholas Tse in an interview with the Post at the Far East Film Festival.

Are Hollywood prequels really the way forward? A Quiet Place: Day One is next for the test

Joseph Quinn as Eric and Lupita Nyong’o as Samira in a still from A Quiet Place: Day One. Photo: Gareth Gatrell/Paramount Pictures

Joseph Quinn as Eric and Lupita Nyong’o as Samira in a still from A Quiet Place: Day One, which will be looking to break Hollywood’s recent prequel curse. Photo: Gareth Gatrell/Paramount Pictures

Anya Taylor-Joy as Furiosa in a still from Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga. Photo: Jasin Boland

Alden Ehrenreich (left) as Han Solo and Joonas Suotamo as Chewbacca in a still from Solo: A Star Wars Story

Eddie Redmayne’s Newt Scamander meets a Bowtruckle in a scene from Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them.

Jake Lloyd as Anakin Skywalker in a still from Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace. Photo: AP

Lupita Nyong’o (left) as Samira and Djimon Hounsou as Henri in a still from A Quiet Place: Day One. Photo: Gareth Gatrell/Paramount Pictures

10 new Hollywood movies to watch in summer 2024, from Trap to Borderlands to Inside Out 2

In Inside Out 2, Joy, Sadness, Anger, Fear and Disgust are not sure how to feel when Anxiety shows up. Photo: Pixar

Ryan Reynolds (left) as Deadpool/Wade Wilson and Hugh Jackman as Wolverine/Logan in a still from Deadpool & Wolverine, one of 10 coming films that have the potential to become hits this year. Photo: Jay Maidment/Marvel

A patron buys a ticket beneath a marquee promoting the films Barbie and Oppenheimer in Los Angeles in 2023. For every “Barbenheimer” success story, there has been a film that has failed to meet its projected return. Photo: AP

Lifestyle

Entertainment

Culture

Film & TV

Korean-American filmmaker shares how he drew on his upbringing in the US Midwest for Twisters, and why making a blockbuster was a no-brainer


Oscar-nominated director Lee Isaac Chung talks about drawing on his experiences of extreme weather in the American Midwest to make Twisters and having his film executive produced by Steven Spielberg.


Cinema

Fame and celebrity

Hollywood

Asian-Americans