Why TWISTERS Director Says He Is ‘Very Much Blessed’

Published: July 22, 2024

Why TWISTERS Director Says He Is ‘Very Much Blessed’

By Movieguide® Contributor

TWISTERS director Lee Isaac Chung recently discussed his career path, from MINARI, to THE MANDALORIAN.

“I can’t quite explain how I find myself in this position,” he joked to The Hollywood Reporter. “I just feel like I’ve been very much blessed.”

Chung’s TWISTERS is already shaping up to be one of the biggest movies of the summer, and it owes a bit to 2020’s MINARI — specifically, a tornado watch scene.

“When I pitched [TWISTERS] to [the producers], I put that scene into my pitch to show that TWISTERS is actually a sequel to MINARI,” Chung explained, adding, “But I don’t actually think they ever picked up on that.”

Movieguide® previously reported on MINARI:

MINARI’s recent success in the awards circuit proves that critics and audiences crave family movies with faith content.

The movie focuses on the importance of family in life, especially when times are hard. Family, like glue, holds it all together.

“I think the reaction comes from the fact that people’s lives resemble one another. We all go through the same things,” says Yeri Han, who plays Monica in the movie. “Even in the most painful moments in this film, you see this family overcome the struggles with so much love and strength; and I think that’s perhaps why this film resonated with a U.S. audience so much.”

Faith is a prominent theme throughout the movie, as well. The Yi family attends church and is persistent with prayer. Their faith in God helps them as they build a new life.

Even critics loved the movie, as it was nominated for multiple Oscars, BAFTAs and Critics Choice Awards, among others.

MINARI is an excellent example of how audiences and critics really do want uplifting content that includes inspirational elements.

He also spoke about his work in the world of STAR WARS and how it helped him on TWISTERS.

“I’m a bit of a nerd with that stuff, and I love THE MANDALORIAN. I just felt like it captured STAR WARS in this wonderful way,” Chung said. “So I asked for a meeting with Jon Favreau, and we talked about MINARI a bit.”

Chung continued, “He liked the film, and I asked him at the end: ‘Hey, I’d love to do an episode if you would have me.’ And he said, ‘Yeah.’ So I really couldn’t believe that he was actually letting me do it. I even had to ask my agent: ‘I think [Favreau] said I can do it, but could you double check?’’

“It was quite a good stepping stone for TWISTERS in terms of learning a lot with VFX and learning how to structure a story in terms of set pieces and action beats rather than simply thinking about a script in a three-act structure and in a very traditional way,” the director explained. “So all of that was really an incredible education.”

That education paid off — TWISTERS brought in “$10.7 million in Thursday night previews,” per The Hollywood Reporter.

In addition to THE MANDALORIAN, Chung will also be directing an episode of the upcoming STAR WARS show THE SKELETON CREW.

“I can’t wait for people to see this thing,” he said of the show. “What I hope is that it’s really going to touch families, and families are going to want to spend a lot of time with the show.”