Twister Sequel Twisters Swoops Up Daisy Edgar-Jones for Lead Role

Golden Globe nominee Daisy Edgar-Jones may want to seek shelter, as she’s just been cast in a lead role for the upcoming movie Twisters. Serving as a sequel to Twister, the tornado movie from 1996 starring Helen Hunt and Bill Paxton, Twisters is set for a release in the summer of next year. Pre-production is underway, and now the cast is starting to come together with Deadline reporting the news of Edgar-Jones joining the film. This is the first name to be announced for the cast so far, though there are rumors that Hunt is wanted to return to reprise her role from the first movie.

Twisters will be directed by Lee Isaac Chung (Minari) with the script coming from Mark L. Smith (The Midnight Sky). Word is Chung was sought for the job because of his upbringing in rural America, which inspired his Oscar-nominated film Minari. As an acclaimed filmmaker who has first-hand experience hiding in storm shelters in his childhood, Chung quickly became a top choice for director. As for Smith’s script, it’s been reported that Steven Spielberg personally put the gears into motion for Twisters after he was impressed with what was written.

According to previous reports, Twisters will primarily follow the daughter of the characters played by Hunt and Paxton in the first movie. Following in her parents’ footsteps, she too becomes a storm chaser, but winds up getting a bit too close to the tornadoes. While Edgar-Jones’ role isn’t specifically named in the new report, it would seem most likely that this would be the character she’ll be playing if that is indeed the plan for the Twister sequel. That also coincides with the rumors of Hunt possibly coming back.

Daisy Edgar-Jones recently garnered some critical praise with her work in last year’s Where the Crawdads Sing. She is also known for her small screen work, including main roles in War of the Worlds, Normal People, and Under the Banner of Heaven. Edgar-Jones will also star in Daniel Minahan’s upcoming drama On Swift Horses alongside Jacob Elordi and Will Poulter.

Jan de Bont helmed the original Twister, which was written by Michael Crichton and Anne-Marie Martin. With Helen Hunt and Bill Paxton in the leads, the film also starred Jami Gertz, Cary Elwes, Alan Ruck, Jeremy Davies, Todd Field, Sean Whalen, and Philip Seymour Hoffman. It was a big hit at the box office, banking more than $495 million in 1996 money, and in addition to its positive reviews, it was nominated for Academy Awards for Visual Effects and Sound. Even so, no official sequel has happened up until this point.