'Twisters' film thrill-packed and science-backed, its stars say

By Hanna Rantala

LONDON (Reuters) - Almost 30 years on from the blockbuster "Twister," deadly tornadoes and their chasers return to the screen for an updated extreme weather tale.

"Twisters" is a "current-day chapter" of its 1996 predecessor, its makers say.

It centres on storm expert Kate Carter, played by Daisy Edgar-Jones, and chaser and superstar streamer Tyler Owens (Glen Powell) whose paths cross during a once in a generation tornado outbreak in Oklahoma.

Directed by "Minari" filmmaker Lee Isaac Chung, in his big-budget action movie debut, "Twisters" introduces advanced technology and a new generation of adrenaline junkies with a large social media following.

"This is a new chapter. This is just a modern telling of that same community that audiences responded to in '96," said Powell, premiering the film in London on Monday.

"Audiences can expect lots of fun, lots of thrills and just to strap in and go on the ride," added Edgar-Jones.

Powell's Owens is a former rodeo star and self-titled "tornado wrangler" whose rowdy team courts danger with gusto. Texan Powell, 35, said both the original movie and the reboot resonated with him personally.

"When I was like nine years old, there was a tornado that went through Jarrell, Texas, and we were on the road to my aunt's ranch and got kind of stuck in it. It was a really terrifying thing...But we cleaned up after that tornado. It's one of those things that imprints on you for the rest of your life," he said.

"This movie's really about what we do in the face of storms, but also how we pick up after each other in the wake of disaster," said Powell. "It's a thing that affects a lot of people, and not just tornadoes but weather all over the planet. I think this is a universal movie for that reason."

"Twisters", written by Mark L. Smith, is based on consultations with meteorologists, climate scientists and real-life storm chasers, said Chung.

"We had people working on the forefront of climate science and also tornado science. We tried to incorporate as much of that into this film as possible to honour what is actually happening and also honour the scientists who are heroes in many ways. If we're going to look to any solutions, we have to look to the scientists," he said.

Like "Twister", Chung hopes his follow-up will leave a lasting impact.

"That first film inspired so many people to get into weather science and research. I would love if that would happen with this movie, that we would inspire a new generation of people want to research and get out there and study."

"Twisters" begins its global cinematic rollout on July 10.

(Reporting by Hanna Rantala; Editing by Muralikumar Anantharaman)