Chasing ‘Twisters’ and collaborating with ‘tornado fanatic’ Steven Spielberg

By LINDSEY BAHR
AP Film Writer

Growing up in the Midwest, filmmaker Lee Isaac Chung developed both a healthy fear of tornadoes and a reverence for Jan de Bont’s 1996 disaster film “Twister.” When he was hired to direct “Twisters,” storming theaters on July 19, he knew one thing was non-negotiable: They needed to shoot in Oklahoma, not on soundstages. The film isn’t a direct sequel to the 1996 one and stars Daisy Edgar-Jones, Anthony Ramos and Glen Powell as a new bunch of storm chasers. “Twisters” isn’t quite finished yet but he’s feeling good about it, having already gotten a pretty major confidence boost from producer Steven Spielberg.