Twisters Premiere Disrupted in Los Angeles, Pro...

The Twisters Los Angeles premiere was disrupted by a protester before the screening began

Published Time: 12.07.2024 - 07:31:09 Modified Time: 12.07.2024 - 07:31:09

The Twisters Los Angeles premiere was disrupted by a protester before the screening began.

On Thursday, July 11, a female protester ran up to the front of the venue after the attendees were seated and started screaming and waving a sign, according to a PEOPLE eyewitness, "There’s no excuse for animal abuse. The film needs a disclaimer.”

The protester was immediately tackled to the ground by security and police promptly placed her in handcuffs. As she was escorted out, she continued to yell, "There’s no excuse for animal abuse. The film needs a disclaimer."

After the incident occurred, star Glen Powellcontinued the introduction to the screening and then passed the microphone to costar Anthony Ramos. "That was a wild intro (laughs). I had to say it," Ramos said.

The PEOPLE eyewitness says that afterwards, several cops remained in the venue’s lobby, and two officers discussed securing and searching the perimeter.

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While it's not immediately known if the protestor was working alone or with a group, several members of People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) protested outside the Westwood Regency Village Theatre where the premiere was held. A half dozen individuals wore cow masks and carried signs that read "Lasso Tornadoes, Not Animals" and "Calves Necks are Twisted at Rodeos."

PETA posted photos of the protest on X (formerly Twitter) -

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, writing: "We demand a disclaimer!" and tagging Universal, the studio behind the film. "It's time for a reality check.@Twistersrodeo date scene glorifies torment, violence, and death of animals."

The upcoming film stars Powell as Tyler Owens, a social media personality and self-proclaimed "Tornado Wrangler” who chases storms for thrills (and likes). He then teams up with Javi (Ramos) and storm trackerKate Cooper (Daisy Edgar-Jones) to test out new technology on tornadoes in Oklahoma.

Alongside Powell, Ramos and Edgar-Jones, the new disaster flick stars Brandon Perea, Daryl McCormack, Maura Tierney, Kiernan Shipka, Sasha Lane, Superman star David Corenswet, Katy O'Brian, Nik Dodani, Tunde Adebimpe and Harry Hadden-Paton.

The upcoming movie is a sequel to the 1996 box office hit, the new installment was written by Mark. L Smith (The Revenant) and directed by Lee Isaac Chung (Minari).

The original film scored two Oscar nominations for Best Sound and Best Visual Effects. The thriller starred Helen Hunt, Bill Paxton, Jami Gertz, Cary Elwes, Alan Ruck and Philip Seymour Hoffman.

In December 2023, Powell described Twisters to Vogue as "its own standalone story in the modern day."

"We're not trying to recreate the story from the first one," Powell told Vogue. "It's a completely original story. There are no characters from the original movie back, so it's not really a continuation."

Twisters opens in theaters on July 17.