Helen Hunt Talks About the ‘Twister’ Sequel She Was Never Able to Direct

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Helen Hunt, known for her role in the movie Twister, recently talked about a sequel she tried for years to get made. She had even planned to direct it! Though she came up with a unique idea for a follow-up film nearly 25 years after the original, she couldn’t get the studio to agree. The new Twisters movie, released in 2024, didn’t include any of the original actors or have much connection to the popular 1990s film.

Despite the sequel never happening, Helen Hunt hasn’t given up on her idea for a follow-up to Twister. She recently spoke about her role in the film and her career at FanExpo New Orleans. She revealed that while working on the Blindspotting TV series, she and the showrunners, Daveed Diggs and Rafael Casal, developed a concept for a Twister reboot with a very diverse cast.

We watched a YouTube video about students studying rocket science. They were using small rockets to attempt to deploy sensors inside tornadoes. That was the inspiration, but we didn’t receive significant funding – nothing like a billion dollars – to build our own version.

You know, when the actual sequel came out and did really well, Hunt just kind of shrugged it off, saying they probably did what they had to. It was smart, honestly. The 2024 movie introduced a whole new crew of characters and completely left the originals behind. It felt like a real changing of the guard – the studio clearly needed something fresh to connect with audiences today.

The movie was highly enjoyable, boasting strong performances from its two main actors and impressive visuals. What really stood out was that it didn’t rely on callbacks or references to the original film to be successful. Unlike many legacy sequels, this one feels fresh and independent, standing on its own as a new story rather than simply continuing an older one.

The movie Twisters performed very well in theaters, bringing in over $372 million with a production budget of $155 million (the first Twister earned nearly $500 million). Critics generally liked it too, giving it a ‘Certified Fresh’ rating and a 75% score on Rotten Tomatoes. Audiences loved it even more, giving it a 90% rating and a ‘Verified Hot’ label. Despite its success with both critics and viewers, and a storyline that leaves room for continuation, there are currently no plans for a sequel.

Is Helen Hunt Still Willing to Return to the ‘Twister’ Franchise?


Warner Bros. Pictures

While Helen Hunt seems open to returning to the Twisters world, she doesn’t necessarily need to reprise her role as Jo Harding. The recent Twisters film functions as a standalone sequel, acknowledging the original 1996 movie only through its tornado-chasing technology. This raises the possibility of a future sequel that aligns more closely with Hunt’s initial vision. When asked about revisiting the idea, Hunt responded:




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Seven hundred thousand things would have to go right, but yes.

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2026-01-24 17:49