When Lee Isaac Chung was announced as the director of the long-awaited sequel Twister, many of us scratched our heads. Chung is obviously a talented filmmaker. His most recent film, to painjust had has received several Oscar nominations, including a win. But going from this small, personal film to the big-budget sequel to a beloved, if admittedly stupid, blockbuster seemed a little lacking.
In fact, it was the opposite. Twister was a film that Chung was not only almost born into, but had become almost an obsession while working on it to pain. This film is mostly a quiet version of the family film, but ends with a burning barn, which is basically what Chung decided to do. “We actually set this barn on fire and just took the risk of filming it in one take.” he told the Associated Press. “I remember it was me so full of adrenaline After that I thought, ‘I want to make a disaster movie.'”
Chung (who directed an episode of The Mandalorian) also grew up in rural Arkansas, near the original film Twister took place. He saw it there in a movie theater and had been so well trained to fear tornadoes because they were so devastating that the movie opened him up to things he never thought possible. “I remember thinking, ‘I didn’t know you could chase these things,'” Chung said. “That was very overwhelming for me.”
After getting the job, Chung insisted that he had to shoot the film on location in Oklahoma, and that’s exactly what happened. “I felt like I was coming home,” Chung said. “to pain And TwisterEven though they’re very different, I kind of consider them my Oklahoma movies.” And at least once, filming had to be stopped due to actual tornadoes. “We got the shots we needed. The sky was perfect because it looked like a tornado. We got everyone out of there safely. And a tornado actually touched the ground after we filmed it,” Chung said. “It felt like a strange day, only when you’re making a movie.”
Essentially, Lee Isaac Chung may not have seemed like the obvious choice Twister, he may actually have been the only one who could do it justice. Read more from the director Over at the AP Look out for the film when it hits theaters on July 19th.
Want more io9 news? Find out when you can expect the latest Wonder, war of starsAnd Star Trek Releases, what’s next for the DC Universe in film and televisionand everything you need to know about the future of Doctor Who.