Set nearly 30 years after the original, the 2024 disaster sequel Twister's main character, the cyclone-obsessed Jo Thornton, 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 headline Twisters' cast, with Edgar-Jones acting as the lead. Early speculation was that Edgar-Jones would be playing the daughter of Helen Hunt and Bill Paxton's characters from the original film, but it became increasingly clear from the film's marketing that that wasn't the case. It may not be a direct sequel to Twister, but given its franchise connection to the original, there was still hope that Helen Hunt's Jo Harding would influence the narrative in some capacity.

Helen Hunt Wanted Jo To Die In Twisters If She Came Back

She Pitched The Idea To Direct

Although it was speculated that she might have a small cameo somewhere in the film, Helen Hunt does not reprise her role as Jo Thornton in Twisters. The reasoning for this could be tied to the sequel wanting to have a mostly clean break from the original and not rely too heavily on what came before. The movie opts to focus on a new generation of storm chasers instead of bringing Helen Hunt back as Jo. But, her ideas for Jo's fate in a sequel also likely played a role.

Early rumors that she might be the mother of Daisy Edgar-Jones' character Kate were also untrue, as Maura Tierney plays Kate's mother.

Prior to the final iteration of Twisters getting off the ground, there was talk of Hunt being involved with a direct Twister sequel. Hunt herself tried pitching a Twister sequel to studios that would have killed off her character and had her in the director's chair. The studio balked at this idea, as killing Helen Hunt's character in Twisters' opening sequence could have rattled audiences hoping to see much more of Jo. Early rumors that she might be the mother of Daisy Edgar-Jones' character Kate were also untrue, as Maura Tierney plays Kate's mother.

Do Any Other Twister Cast Appear In Twisters?

There Were Several Other Big Names In The Original Cast

Opposite Helen Hunt in Twister was Bill Paxton as Bill Harding, Jo Harding's estranged husband and ex-storm chaser. Sadly, Bill Paxton ed away in 2017, and like with Helen Hunt's character, there is no direct mention of his character in Twisters. Their team of storm-chasers from the 1996 classic was loaded with noteworthy Hollywood names, including Alan Ruck, Jami Gertz, and now-deceased Academy Award winner Philip Seymour Hoffman. However, none of the characters make any sort of appearance in Twisters, as it is a true stand-alone sequel that merely borrows elements from the original.

Twister (1996) Cast:

How Twisters Still Honors Helen Hunt & Bill Paxton's Characters

There Is One Major Callback To Their Characters' Legacy

Given the iconic status of both the first Twister movie and its two leads in Helen Hunt and Bill Paxton, it was always essential that Twisters honors the original characters. While the characters themselves are never mentioned, the revolutionary storm-tracking "Dorothy" technology developed by Hunt and Paxton's characters in the original movie is still employed in modern-day tornado chasing. Twisters' opening scene, set five years before the movie's main action, shows Daisy Edgar-Jones' Kate and her team using "Dorothy V", which is an extremely similar model based on Twister's original Dorothy technology.

The original Dorothy model is based on real-life scientific equipment developed by the NOAA National Severe Storms Laboratory which had a similar function as what was demonstrated in Twister.

That brief appearance isn't the only way that Twisters pays homage to the original characters. The Storm PAR team led by Anthony Ramos has four pieces of portable storm-tracking equipment, all of which work cohesively to provide a three-dimensional view of an entire tornado. The three in-field pieces are nicknamed "Lion," "Scarecrow," and "Tin Man," and the main data collection point is referred to as "The Wizard." It's a small but important nod to the naming conventions of Helen Hunt's character Jo Harding from the original Twister.

Helen Hunt Could Still Return In Another Sequel

The New Movie And The Original Movie Could Collide

Though Helen Hunt missed out on a role in Twisters, there is still a possibility of her returning in the franchise's next installment. There has been no official confirmation about a Twisters sequel happening, but following the box office success of the sequel, it would not be surprising if the studio was eager to continue the story. Glen Powell and Daisy Edgar-Jones established themselves as capable leads for the franchise going forward, but there is still room for Hunt's Jo Harding to make a return.

The sequel is somewhat set up at the end of Twisters when it is revealed that the journalist, Ben, who had been following Tyler's team around on their storm-chasing adventures, wrote his story about Kate instead. This article could get the attention of Jo and she could seek out this new generation of storm chasers to forces. It would make it a true legacy sequel, and as with some legacy sequels, Hunt could possibly get her wish to kill off Jo and hand the torch over to the new heroes.