David Lynch Confirms He’s Leaving Showtime’s Twin Peaks Project

A few weeks ago, while sitting on a panel at the Queensland Art Gallery and Gallery of Modern Art in Australia, David Lynch hinted that there was trouble in paradise with regards to the anticipated Showtime reboot of Twin Peaks (see Is David Lynch’s Twin Peaks Reboot No Longer Happening?). While sources close to the show initially attempted to gloss over Lynch’s cryptic comments, it looks like bad news for fans of the surrealistic cult drama. Lynch announced yesterday, via Twitter, that he is officially pulling out of the project.

“Dear Twitter Friends,” Lynch wrote in a series of four tweets. “Showtime did not pull the plug on Twin Peaks. After 1 year and 4 months of negotiations, I left because not enough money was offered to do the script the way I felt it needed to be done. This weekend I started calling actors to let them know I would not be directing. Twin Peaks may still be very much alive at Showtime. I love the world of Twin Peaks and wish things could have worked out differently.”

Lynch had reportedly already written the scripts alongside co-creator Mark Frost, and was set to direct the full nine-episode run, which was scheduled to premiere in 2016 (see Artist David Lynch to Resurrect Surrealist TV Drama Twin Peaks, and Kyle MacLachlan Returns to David Lynch’s Twin Peaks After 25 Years).

It’s hard to imagine a Twin Peaks without David Lynch, and as much as we’d love to revisit the town 25 years later (just as Laura Palmer promised), we hope the network has the sense not to attempt to attach another director to the project.

Showtime remains optimistic that the deal with Lynch could still work out, stating: “We were saddened to read David Lynch’s statement today since we believed we were working towards solutions with David and his reps on the few remaining deal points. SHOWTIME also loves the world of Twin Peaks and we continue to hold out hope that we can bring it back in all its glory with both of its extraordinary creators, David Lynch and Mark Frost, at its helm.”


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