In 1996, a film about the weather blew audiences away. Twister, directed by Jan de Bont and produced by Steven Spielberg, followed a group of amateur storm-chasers trying to deploy a tornado research device during an extreme storm in Oklahoma. Starring Helen Hunt, Bill Paxton, Jami Gertz and Cary Elwes, Twister became an instant smash at the boxoffice, earning $495 million worldwide and becoming the second highest-grossing film of ‘96, behind Independence Day.

Both movies had a significant cultural impact, revolutionising the disaster film genre. But while Independence Day lay the groundwork for the sci-fi resurgence of the mid-to-late ‘90s, Twister had a more complicated legacy. Upon release, the movie brought the raw power and unpredictability of tornadoes into mainstream consciousness, inspiring a renewed interest in meteorology and severe weather phenomena.

However, while environmental disaster films such as Dante’s Peak and Volcano – and noughties movies The Day After Tomorrow and 2012 – did well at the box-office, rising politicisation of climate change meant conservative audiences started to turn on environmentally-themed movies. This was, remember, a political landscape where American conservatives argued against Al Gore’s global warming documentary An Inconvenient Truth, claiming that it was propaganda. Environmentally-themed disaster movies died out, to be replaced with films about aliens and technology, which felt less politically divisive.

But Twister held on to its fans, who fondly remembered its groundbreaking special effects and thrilling portrayal of storm-chasing. And now, nearly 30 years later, director Lee Isaac Chung (Minari) is reviving the franchise, with Normal People star Daisy Edgar-Jones starring as Kate Cooper, a former storm-chaser still haunted by a traumatic tornado encounter from her college years. Now, she analyses storm patterns from the safety of New York City.

However, her friend Javi (Anthony Ramos) persuades her to return to the open plains to test an innovative new tracking system. There, she meets Tyler Owens (Glen Powell), a daring and charismatic social media star, who documents his dangerous storm-chasing exploits with his wild crew. As storm season peaks, unprecedented and terrifying weather phenomena emerge, forcing Kate, Tyler, and their rival teams into a life-and-death battle against converging storm systems over central Oklahoma.

(from left) Daisy Edgar-Jones, Glen Powell, and Director Lee Isaac Chung on the set of Twisters.

For director Lee Isaac Chung, making Twisters felt like a dream come true, both personally and professionally.

“I grew up in northwest Arkansas on the Oklahoma border – tornados were a big reality for me,” he explains. “As a child, I was mesmerised when the original film came out in 1996. Here was a group of people running into the storm while everyone else was running out. So when the producers came to me to direct this new chapter, I was truly honoured and terrified to make the transition into tentpole, summer blockbuster territory.

“But the film embodies what inspired me to take on the challenge; I wanted to run toward my fears and not away from them. There were many components that were important to me in making this film. I have long wanted to tell a story like this with a strong female lead, and Daisy Edgar-Jones delivers on every level. We collaborated very closely with a dedicated team of climate scientists and together, I hope we’ve crafted an immersive experience that brings viewers up close and personal to the things that are bigger than us – things that are meant to scare us and take us into the heart of the storm.”

WEATHER BOOT CAMP

Conscious that modern audiences are acutely aware of how climate change is affecting nature and weather patterns, Chung wanted to ensure the tornado-mitigation science in Twisters is rooted in reality. Twisters can’t be killed – but they can be affected, tamed and sometimes reduced, which is what Kate Cooper wants to do. Having her quest be realistic makes the audience root for her even more. Edgar-Jones came to Twisters as a fan of its predecessor.

“I grew up in England, where we don’t have much of anything in the way of treacherous weather, besides the occasional thick fog,” she says. “So Twister was a transporting, exciting, scary thrill ride that captured my imagination. When I heard they were making a new chapter, and that Isaac was making it, I was excited by the idea of someone like him, with his filmmaking sensibility, taking on material like this and seeing what he would do.

“I was begging my agents to get me the script, and sure enough, I loved it. The story honoured the first film in so many ways, from a strong female lead to an ensemble of rich, fascinating characters. And it created this amazing new modern world of storm-chasers that was so resonant, touching, funny and just plain fun. I knew I had to be involved.”

Edgar-Jones was chomping at the bit to play a strong female lead in a blockbuster action film, but she was also captivated by Kate’s emotional arc.

“When we first meet her, Kate’s this superhero storm-chaser, passionate about figuring out how to weaken tornadoes, doing this good work with her best friends,” she notes. “But then she suffers a tragedy that leaves her humbled, rocked by PTSD, and closed off to other people. The story is how she recovers from that by re-connecting with home and new people. It’s about a person coming back to life, returning to themselves, and I found that meaningful and powerful.”

Edgar-Jones and her co-stars, including Irish actor Daryl McCormack, prepared for the film by attending a “weather boot camp”, at the National Weather Service Centre at the University of Oklahoma. There, the cast learned Tornado 101 from expert meteorologists and interviewed storm-chasers. Edgar-Jones supplemented her education by constantly searching for YouTube videos about tornadoes, reading up on the history of Oklahoma, and mastering the regional accent.

“Doing research for this movie was endlessly interesting and helpful,” says the actress. “And Kevin Kelleher was invaluable. He helped us understand the science. He was there on set when we were shooting storm-chasing scenes, to explain what real storm-chasers would be thinking, or how they might react to certain situations. He would help us with the technical jargon, whether it was to explain the concepts or just make sure we were pronouncing terms right. He kept us on our toes and helped keep us on track.”

NATURAL MAGIC

Shooting Twisters, says Edgar-Jones, was much like her experience of watching the first movie.

“It’s the wildest thrill ride you can imagine, only this time, it was real and I was living it,” she reflects. “There was one sequence where a tornado blows through a rodeo and completely obliterates it. While we’re trying to dodge all sorts of debris and find shelter, they used a crane to drop a horse trailer from the sky. Safely, of course, but it was just insane. Another day, they strapped me into a car and spun it upside down, like I was in a washing machine. Because there’s so much car-based action in the movie, I was always behind the wheel, doing some very speedy driving. I’m ready for a job in the next Fast & Furious movie because of Twisters.”

As Tyler Owens, Powell plays a part cowboy, part viral video star, and a former rodeo champion turned “tornado wrangler”, trading his horse for a souped-up Dodge Ram. He leads a boisterous crew of “extreme meteorologists”, who aim to get close enough to tornadoes to light them up with pyrotechnics and capture the spectacle on film. In the process, they achieve internet fame through their daring exploits.

(from left) Lily (Sasha Lane) and Tyler (Glen Powell), in Twisters.

While Tyler initially seems like a reckless thrill-seeker and self-promoter, threatening to derail Kate’s work in Oklahoma, he gradually reveals a surprising depth of intelligence and heart. As he and Kate move from rivalry to collaboration and eventually to romantic attraction, Tyler’s true character shines through. Powell says that working with Edgar-Jones was a pleasure form the start.

“I was filming Anyone But You in Australia when I got a call asking if I’d be interested in Twisters, and whether I would be open to doing a chemistry read with Daisy, who was already cast,” he says. “It was immediately clear that it was going to be effortless for anyone to have chemistry with Daisy. She’s one of the most generous actors I’ve ever met and this incredibly thoughtful human being. Especially in an audition scenario, where you’re trying to be calm and relaxed, and make some natural magic happen, while thinking about a million different things and working to get a job. I’ll always be grateful to her for that.”

Twisters is in cinemas now