Brandy McDonnellThe Oklahoman
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Oklahoma film fans should keep their eyes on Super Bowl LVIII Sunday night, as industry forecasters are predicting a high probability that the first look at the upcoming blockbuster "Twisters" will touch down during the big game.
Movie studios Paramount, Universal and Disney spent a record $7 million for each Super Bowl Sunday 30-second spot, according to Deadline, so expectations are sky-high for epic trailers.
Along with the first preview for the made-in-Oklahoma "Twisters," trade publications are forecasting that Super Bowl 58 viewers are likely to see trailers for the anticipated films "Deadpool 3" (opening in theaters July 26), "Inside Out 2" (June 14), "A Quiet Place: Day One" (June 28), "Kung Fu Panda 4" (March 8), "Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes" (May 10), "Monkey Man" (April 5), "The Fall Guy" (May 3) and "Despicable Me 4" (July 3).
Described as a "new chapter" following the 1996 blockbuster "Twister," which also was filmed in Oklahoma, "Twisters" is scheduled to hit theaters on July 19 as a summer tentpole release for Universal Pictures.
What is the new movie 'Twisters' about?
"Twisters" has been described as a "new chapter" for rather than a sequel to the 1996 hit "Twister," which followed Helen Hunt, the late Bill Paxton, Cary Elwes, Jami Gertz and the late Philip Seymour Hoffman as fictional storm chasers tracking a series of powerful tornadoes.
Mark L. Smith, whose credits include the Oscar-winning 2015 film "The Revenant," starring Leonardo DiCaprio, wrote the script for "Twisters."
"It’s definitely not a reboot. We’re not trying to recreate the story from the first one. It’s a completely original story. There are no characters from the original movie back, so it’s not really a continuation. It’s just its own standalone story in the modern-day," "Twisters" star Glenn Powell ("Top Gun: Maverick") said in a December interview with Vogue.
Who are the stars and filmmakers of 'Twisters?'
Golden Globe nominee Daisy Edgar-Jones ("Under the Banner of Heaven") is starring opposite Powell in "Twisters." Last June, Edgar-Jones shared on Instagram footage of severe weather the production encountered in Oklahoma.
Anthony Ramos ("A Star Is Born") is co-starring in the long-awaited action vehicle. An original Broadway cast member of "Hamilton," Ramos was spotted in Oklahoma City attending a matinee of Lyric' Theatre's "A Christmas Carol" last December amid filming on "Twisters."
The "Twisters" cast also includes Brandon Perea ("Nope"), Daryl McCormack ("Good Luck to You, Leo Grande"), Maura Tierney ("The Affair"), Harry Hadden-Paton ("Downton Abbey"), Sasha Lane ("American Honey"), Kiernan Shipka ("Mad Men"), Nik Dodani ("Atypical"), David Corenswet ("Pearl"), Tunde Adebimpe ("Spider-Man: Homecoming") and Katy O’Brian ("The Mandalorian"), according to Deadline.
Two-time Oscar nominated filmmaker Lee Isaac Chung is the director of "Twisters," but before he touched down in the Sooner State on his tornado-chasing blockbuster, he'd already made one movie in Oklahoma: He filmed his Academy Award-winning semi-autobiographical immigrant drama "Minari" in the Tulsa area in 2019.
Frank Marshall, known for famed franchises like the "Jurassic Park" and Bourne movies, is producing "Twisters" via his banner, Kennedy/Marshall Co. Marshall’s wife, Kathleen Kennedy, who is now president of Lucasfilm, was a lead producer on the original "Twister." Marshall has ties to Oklahoma through the charity work he has done for many years in the Sooner State.
Where in Oklahoma was 'Twisters' filmed?
With an estimated budget of $200 million, principal photography on "Twisters" got underway in Oklahoma City in May 2023.
Along with OKC, "Twisters" filmed in and around Chickasha, El Reno, Okarche and Cashion last spring and summer, until production was suspended in July due to the Screen Actors Guild strike.
Production resumed in Oklahoma last November following the conclusion of the SAG strike, with filming in Midwest City, Chickasha and Yukon. The project wrapped filming in December, Powell told Vogue.
What has been the lasting legacy of 'Twister' in Oklahoma?
Before "Twisters" whirled into Oklahoma, "Twister" touched down in the Sooner State.
Directed by Jan De Bont (“Speed”) from a screenplay by Michael Crichton ("Jurassic Park"), with cinema icon Steven Spielberg executive producing, 1996's "Twister" was a commercial smash. It earned more than $494 million at the global box office, making it the most successfully made-in-Oklahoma movie to be released to date.
It also was nominated for two Academy Awards, for best sound, as well as for its groundbreaking visual effects.
Before recent powerhouse productions like Martin Scorsese's "Killers of the Flower Moon" and the inaugural season of "Tulsa King" came to the Sooner State, "Twister" was one of the biggest projects to ever film in Oklahoma.
The blockbuster filmed across the state, including in Guthrie, Maysville, Norman, Fairfax and Wakita, where the Twister Movie Museum continues to preserve and display memorabilia from the first movie.
What impact has 'Twisters' had on Oklahoma so far?
Last July, the Oklahoma City Council approved two movies — the local independent production "Defiant Vanity" and a blockbuster believed to be "Twisters," though the Greater Oklahoma City Chamber of Commerce had signed a non-disclosure agreement regarding the latter — for the city's new film incentive tax rebate. The Oklahoma City Film Incentive Program provides filmmakers on certain projects rebates between 5% and 10% of qualified expenses like set building, catering, editing and more.
The council approved the NDA film for $1 million in tax rebates, as it was expected to spend $42.6 million in Oklahoma City. The Greater OKC Chamber estimated last summer a "tremendous" economic output of $258 million from the project.
Oklahoma City Film & Creative Industries Office Executive Director Jill Simpson said at the time that the 2024 blockbuster had also qualified for the state film incentive program and that the project would consist of 40 days filmed at Prairie Surf Studios and 50 days in the OKC metro area in total.
Nearly 2,300 metro-area residents were expected to be hired for the project, representing more than 45,500 working days for Oklahoma City-area residents. Cast and crew lodging was expected to use 10 OKC hotels, and the studio contracted with 500 local vendors.
Simpson also said last summer the movie would bring "free global marketing awareness of Oklahoma City on a world stage" — and it seems likely that will start with a Super Bowl Sunday spot.
The Kansas City Chiefs and San Francisco 49ers are scheduled to kick off Super Bowl 58 at 5:30 p.m. Sunday on CBS.
