Twisters director Lee Issac Chung explains why he tamed down the romance in the film

Last Updated on July 24, 2024

SPOILERS FOR THE MOVIE TWISTERS AHEAD

While it was estimated that Twisters would be off to a good start as a formidable summer hit, when the movie touched down, it would actually take the box office by storm with an incredible $80.5 million opening. This would make the new Daisy Edgar-Jones/Glen Powell disaster film one of the year’s biggest hits alongside Inside Out 2 and Dune: Part Two. And while all the storm chasing rocked the theaters, audiences would also get caught up in the romantic tension between the two leads as Edgar-Jones’ Kate and Powell’s Tyler would do the usual romantic tango of being rivals, then friends, then maybe something more.

One thing that didn’t pay off for audiences was the grand moment in the end when the two finally embraced with a kiss. The ending sets up a very rom-com moment as Kate heads off to New York and Tyler pursues her at the airport terminal. Then, the moment doesn’t actually happen. Deadline reports that the film’s director, Lee Issac Chung, explained why he didn’t include the moment of gratification when it was, in fact, filmed. Chung stated,

I feel like audiences are in a different place now in terms of wanting a kiss or not wanting a kiss. I actually tried the kiss, and it was very polarizing — and it’s not because of their performance of the kiss. This [no-kiss shot] was the other option that I had filmed on the day, and I got to say, I like it better. I think it’s a better ending.”

Powell would joke that he was “taking a little offense” to the decision to take it out as he assumed that it was “just my abilities” as an actor that ruined the scene, but Chung wanted to make Kate’s ending more purposeful. The director also explained, “If it ends on the kiss, then it makes it seem as though that’s what Kate’s journey was all about — to end up with a kiss. But instead, it’s better that it ends with her being able to continue doing what she’s doing with a smile on her face.”

Jones would be inclined to agree with Chung’s decision to cut the moment out. She stated, “It felt nice and refreshing to not have to end up on that beat because what you’re ending it on is two individuals who are so equal in their love and interest and intelligence and understanding of weather.”