What to know before watching Twisters

Hold onto something because a sequel to one of the 90s’ most memorable disaster movies is here — with Twisters finally heading to streaming services.

Starring Helen Hunt, Cary Elwes, Philip Seymour Hoffman and Bill Paxton, Jan De Bont’s 1996 movie Twister was one of the most successful of the decade, inspiring its own theme park ride at Universal Studios and becoming one of the first movies ever to hit DVD.

The film followed a group of storm-chasers on the trail of the US’s most dangerous tornados. Their goal? To track them with state-of-the-art equipment in order to aid their ever-evolving research.

Read more: The rise of Glen Powell as a bonafide Hollywood star

Now, more than 25 years later, audiences are invited to return to this edge-of-your-seat world with a new cast of characters and a new director at the helm. Here’s everything we know so far about tornado sequel Twisters.

How can I watch Twisters?

Twisters will be available to buy and rent on Prime Video, Apple TV and Sky Store on Monday, 2 September. It was originally released in cinemas on Wednesday, 17 July.

Is there a trailer for Twisters?

The full trailer for Twisters dropped in May 2024 and with it came the full impact these storms can have on big-budget summer blockbusters.

Emotions and extreme weather combine, with results that hark back to the 1996 original. Watch it below.

“You don’t face your fears, you ride ‘em.”

The teaser trailer dropped on Super Bowl Sunday 2024 and wasted no time dragging us into the eye of the storm.

Once there, we were briefly introduced to a new batch of characters, all of whom appeared willing to put it all on the line to get as close as they can to these staggering forces of nature.

What happens in Twisters?

The original Twister mixed high-octane storm-chasing action with some real emotional heft, as unfortunate members of Du Bont’s cast sadly discovered the cost of tampering with Mother Nature’s wrath.

Twisters is directed by Minari filmmaker Lee Isaac Chung and looks set to serve up the same mix of nail-biting weather chaos and heartfelt drama. However, that’s where its links to Du Bont’s original end.

It was initially believed that Twisters would follow the daughter of the tornado-obsessed duo played by Paxton and Hunt in the first film. However, this was later debunked. Instead, the sequel stands alone and focuses on a new group of heroes.

“It’s a separate story,” said Twisters screenwriter Mark L. Smith. “It’s not a continuation of the original. But it's just a real wild ride with some good, fun characters. Hopefully, we can tap into what the original had because that thing is just iconic.”

The film’s official synopsis sheds some more light on what’s in store, explaining that it follows a former storm-chaser who’s “haunted by a devastating encounter with a tornado during her college years.”

Now an expert on storm patterns, she’s pulled back into the game by a friend “to test a groundbreaking new tracking system” where she meets a reckless but charming social-media storm-chaser who invites her to join his crew.

It continues: “As storm season intensifies, terrifying phenomena never seen before are unleashed, and Kate, Tyler and their competing teams find themselves squarely in the paths of multiple storm systems converging over central Oklahoma in the fight of their lives.”

Who is in the Twisters cast?

Normal People actor Daisy Edgar-Jones stars as Kate Cooper, the former storm obsessive who’s lured back into her dangerous tornado obsession by the wild Tyler Owens, played by Top Gun: Maverick’s Glen Powell.

In The Heights star Anthony Ramos plays Javi, Kate’s pal who invites her back into the storm-chasing world to test out some new tech. American Honey star Sasha Lane appears as Tyler’s fellow storm-chaser Lily.

Twisters also feature appearances from Peaky Blinders’ Daryl McCormack, Nope’s Brandon Perea, Liar Liar’s Maura Tierney, The Mandalorian’s Katy O’Brien, The Crown’s Harry Hadden-Paton and James Gunn’s new Superman David Corenswet.

The cast is rounded out by Kiernan Shipka, Nik Dodani and ??Tunde Adebimpe.

Twisters will be available to buy and rent from 2 September