Twisters director explains why “great” kiss scene was cut from movie

Twisters sets itself apart from the 1996 movie in a lot of different ways, including a big kiss at the end, but director Lee Isaac Chung has confirmed that one was actually filmed only to be cut down the line.

Twisters is already a hit with audiences, heading straight towards a $72 million opening. Clearly, the new action movie is delivering on all fronts, but one notable question mark comes from the ending. Despite the inkling of romance throughout, there’s no climactic kiss between Kate (Daisy Edgar-Jones) and Tyler (Glen Powell).

In the original Twister, the film ends with Jo (Helen Hunt) and Bill (Bill Paxton) locking lips after escaping a ginormous tornado. This might leave fans wondering why Twisters doesn’t follow the same path, but Chung revealed to Dexerto that not only was a kiss scene actually filmed for the new movie, but it was abandoned for a very understandable reason.

“That’s another thing where I didn’t know what would work. Should there be a kiss? Or should there not be a kiss? I actually filmed both versions. So there is a kiss,” Chung confirmed. “There is a kiss version out there. And trust me, those two look great kissing.”

“It’s not about their performance,” he clarified. “I just felt like this movie is so much more about Kate’s inner journey. In that original movie, it’s about those two equally, I feel. And this one, it’s a lot about Kate. I just felt what she’s trying to earn at the end is not a kiss.”

Ultimately, the decision to remove the smooch came from wanting the focus to remain on Kate and her journey.

He continued: “It’s really finding the joy of who she once was, and the joy of the work that she does. And also the joy of having community and friendship. I felt like this ending of Daisy and Glen going off to chase another storm together was somehow so emblematic of that, and that was ultimately more satisfying than seeing these two kiss.”

Chung also confessed that he thought the cutting of the kiss might not have been a favorable move with studio execs.

“There are some people in the studios who are a little mad at me that I took out the kiss, but I feel personally that was the right choice,” he said.

Twisters is playing in theaters now. For more, check out our Twisters review, guide to the Twisters soundtrack, and all the other best new movies of 2024.