Growing up in the Midwest, filmmaker Lee Isaac Chung developed both a healthy fear of tornadoes and a respect for Jan de Bont’s famous 1996 film, Tornado (Twister). He saw the film in theaters with his family when he was a teenager.
“I remember thinking, ‘I didn’t know you could chase these things,'” he said. This, to me, was very mind-blowing. »
These were forces of nature from which he and his classmates in rural Arkansas, near the Oklahoma border, learned to hide safely. And here are Helen Hunt, Bill Paxton, Philip Seymour Hoffman and Alan Ruck heading towards them. Intentionally.
When he was hired to direct the sequel, Twisterswhich arrives in theaters July 19, he knew one thing was non-negotiable: They had to film in Oklahoma, not on locations.
“I told everyone this was something we had to do. We couldn’t just have blue screens,” Chung emphasized.
“We had to be on the roads with our vans and in the green environments where this story actually takes place. »
We would have to make sacrifices, reduce the number of shooting days to stay within the budget, but it was important. Twister is perhaps a huge success, the second highest-grossing film of 1996 behind Independence Day (Independence Day), but to Chung it felt like a local movie filmed in his backyard.
His “Oklahoma Films”
PHOTO UNIVERSAL PICTURES VIA ASSOCIATED PRESS
Chung also filmed Minarihis autobiographical family film which earned six Academy Award nominations, including Best Picture and Best Director.
Although most may remember Minari as a quiet, contemplative film, it was actually one that got him thinking about doing something more spectacular. At the end there is a dramatic fire.
“We actually set this barn on fire and just took the risk of filming it in one take,” he said. I remember being so full of adrenaline after that that I said to myself, “I want to make a disaster movie.” »
The first place he went to scout for Twisters was a farm. The owner came out and greeted Chung with a hug and announcing that he was in fact an extra in Minari.
“I felt like I was coming home. This is confirmation that we made the right choice, he explained. Minari And Twisters, even though they are very different, I kind of consider them my Oklahoma films. »
A long-term project
PHOTO MELINDA SUE GORDON, UNIVERSAL PICTURES VIA ASSOCIATED PRESS
Daisy Edgar-Jones, Anthony Ramos and Glen Powell in a scene from Twisters
There were discussions about a sequel to Twister for several years, Universal Pictures and Amblin Entertainment working with the screenwriter of the Revenant (the Revenant), Mark L. Smith, to develop a new story and find the best director for the job. Furthermore, Hunt was even reportedly working on a next chapter, and several directors were under consideration.
But Chung proved his passion to Steven Spielberg, Universal and Warner Bros., which oversees international distribution.
“It’s like I can see it,” he said. I was triggering all the emotions in my mind that I wanted the audience to feel. »
The film is considered a standalone sequel to the 1996 film and stars Daisy Edgar-Jones, Anthony Ramos and Glen Powell as a new group of storm chasers. None of the characters from the original return, but the legacy of their work is there: the Dorothy sensors are back, as are the references to the fictional Muskogee State University.
“We emphasize the idea and the fact that, from an environmental perspective, storms have become more unpredictable. Tornadoes have also become more unpredictable. It’s just hard science,” Chung said.
An eventful shoot
They started production starting in spring 2023, in order to take advantage of the actual tornado season in the region. One day, they were filming a scene with Daisy Edgar-Jones and her friends fleeing a giant tornado, trying to get to safety. The team also received warnings of a giant storm arriving and were asked to film what they needed to as quickly as possible. Shortly after they had a successful day and sent everyone home, they received a report that a tornado had touched down about forty miles away.
Chung and his associate producer decided to celebrate with some of El Reno’s famous onion fried burgers.
“We got the images we needed. The sky was perfect, as it looked like a tornado. We got everyone out safely. And a tornado touched down after we filmed,” he said.
Steven Spielberg produced the original, but his fascination with tornadoes goes back further than that. Who remembers the scene in The Fabelmans where the mother takes the children to try to hunt one themselves?
“He’s a real tornado fanatic,” Chung testified. My pitch was YouTube videos of real tornadoes and every one of them he was like, “Yeah, I saw that. I saw that.” It turns out he had seen every YouTube video of a tornado in existence. »
Twisters is not quite finished yet. Chung said it would probably be done by June. And he’s feeling good, having already received a pretty significant confidence boost from Spielberg, who Chung called a true partner throughout the process.
” He adores Twister and I can say he loves this movie too,” he emphasized.