Why Helen Hunt didn’t return to Twisters

Set almost 30 years after the original, the sequel to the 2024 disaster Twisted being released confirms Helen Hunt’s absence, leaving questions as to why she is not present. Described as a new chapter in the story of the beloved 1996 American epic, audiences are eager to see which actors and actresses from the original film, if any, will once again chase the powerful F5 tornado. TwistedJo Thornton’s cyclone-obsessed main character is one of Helen Hunt’s most memorable characters. Given the importance of her character, her involvement would shape how the story unfolds.

Daisy Edgar-Jones, Glen Powell and Anthony Ramos make headlines Twisted‘cast, with Edgar-Jones playing the lead. Early speculation was that Edgar-Jones would play the daughter of Helen Hunt and Bill Paxton’s characters from the original film, but it became increasingly clear in the film’s marketing that this was not the case. It may not be a direct sequence of Twistedbut given the franchise’s connection to the original, there was still hope that Helen Hunt’s Jo Harding would influence the narrative in some way.

Helen Hunt wanted Jo to die in Twisters if she came back

She presented the idea to direct

Although it has been speculated that she could have a small cameo somewhere in the film Helen Hunt does not reprise her role as Jo Thornton in Twisted. The reasoning for this may be linked to the sequel’s desire to break away from the original and not rely too much on what came before. The film chooses to focus on a new generation of storm chasers rather than bringing Helen Hunt back as Jo. But his ideas about Jo’s fate in a sequel likely played a role as well.

Before the final iteration of the Twisted exiting the role, Hunt was rumored to be involved with a direct Twisted sequence. Hunt herself tried to launch a Twisted sequence of studios that would have killed off her character and put her in the director’s chair. The studio rejected this idea, as killing Helen Hunt’s character in Twisted‘opening sequence could have shaken the audience hoping to see a lot more of Jo. Early rumors that she could be the mother of Daisy Edgar-Jones’ character Kate were also false, as Maura Tierney plays Kate’s mother.

Do any other Twister cast members appear in Twisters?

There were several other big names in the original cast

Opposite Helen Hunt in Twisted was Bill Paxton as Bill Harding, Jo Harding’s ex-husband and former storm chaser. Sadly, Bill Paxton passed away in 2017, and as with Helen Hunt’s character, there is no direct mention of his character in Twisted. The 1996 classic’s team of storm chasers was filled with notable Hollywood names, including Alan Ruck, Jami Gertz and the late Oscar winner Philip Seymour Hoffman. However, none of the characters make any kind of appearance in Twistedas it is a true standalone sequel that only borrows elements from the original.

Twister (1996) Cast:

How Twisters still pays homage to Helen Hunt and Bill Paxton’s characters

There is an important return to the legacy of its characters

Given the iconic status of the first Twisted film and its two protagonists, Helen Hunt and Bill Paxton, it was always essential that Twisted pays homage to the original characters. Although the characters themselves are never mentioned, the revolutionary “Dorothy” storm tracking technology developed by Hunt and Paxton’s characters in the original film it is still employed in chasing modern tornadoes. TwistedThe opening scene, set five years before the film’s main action, shows Daisy Edgar-Jones’ Kate and her team using “Dorothy V”, which is an extremely similar model based on TwistedOriginal Dorothy technology.

This brief appearance is not the only way Twisted pays homage to the original characters. The Storm PAR team led by Anthony Ramos has four portable storm tracking devices, all working cohesively to provide a three-dimensional view of an entire tornado. The three pieces on the field are nicknamed “Lion”, “Scarecrow” and “Tin Man”. and the main data collection point is known as “The Wizard”. It’s a small but important nod to the naming conventions of Helen Hunt’s character Jo Harding from the original Twisted.

Helen Hunt may yet return in another sequel

The new film and the original film could collide

Although Helen Hunt lost a role in TwistedThere is still a possibility of his return in the next chapter of the franchise. There has been no official confirmation about a Twisted sequel happening, but after the sequel’s box office success, it wouldn’t be surprising if the studio was eager to continue the story. Glen Powell and Daisy Edgar-Jones have established themselves as capable leads for the future of the franchise, but there’s still room for Hunt’s Jo Harding to return.

The sequence is somewhat set up at the end of Twisted when it is revealed that journalist Ben, who accompanied Tyler’s team on their storm chasing adventures, wrote his story about Kate. This article could catch Jo’s attention and she could look to this new generation of storm chasers to join forces. It would be a true legacy sequel, and as with some legacy sequels, Hunt could get his wish of killing Jo and handing the torch to the new heroes..