David Lynch leaves TWIN PEAKS revival

Earlier this week David Lynch announced on Twitter that he’s no longer a part of the planned Twin Peaks revival show for Showtime. The reasons are apparently related to budget: nine episodes are planned for the new season, but when the scripts were turned in it became clear the ambitions of the revival were far higher than the budget allocated to it. Clearly talks have not been going well and Lynch appears to have thrown in the towel.

This is a major blow for the project: not only did Lynch help create the original, but he co-controls the rights for Twin Peaks. On top of that the man was due to direct all nine episodes. That alone would have drawn a lot of eyeballs for Showtime. So it’s no surprise that Showtime president David Nevins has reached out to Lynch and, according to Variety, “others connected to the project have been trying to find creative solutions that would allow Lynch to rejoin the fold.”

There is even a video of some cast members saying Twin Peaks without Lynch just won’t make sense, several making references to the cult show:

 

Well, maybe that will convince him. On the other hand, just how much money are we talking about here? I can’t imagine Showtime is being a cheapskate, not with this and not if it plans to rumble HBO and its crime flagship. True Detective. Does Lynch need a reality check? then again, reality and David Lynch are rarely words seen in the same sentence.

I don’t know if a Twin Peaks revival is even a good idea. The original has aged badly and wobbled to an uncertain end after two seasons, with a movie to tie up loose ends. Sure, it has its fans, but I think sentimentality is playing a big role here. On the other hand, if Showtime gives Lynch what he wants, maybe we’ll see something really remarkable. There’s no denying the show had a surreal side of it that is worth exploring.

Last Updated: April 9, 2015