David Lynch has revealed that he will no longer be a part of Showtime’s planned reboot of his cult classic TV show Twin Peaks.
Word came earlier today that Showtime had called off the third season of the cult classic series all together. However, Lynch reached out to the Twin Peaks Festival to clarify that it was he who had left the project, and that as far as he knows, it’s still on at the network. “After one year and four months of negotiations,” he wrote, “I left because not enough money was offered to do the script the way I felt it needed to be done.”
Read Lynch’s full statement:
Lynch began to express uncertainty last month, telling ABC Australia three weeks ago that he was “still working on a contract” with Showtime. Prior to that, while holding a panel for his “Between Two Worlds” exhibit in Brisbane, Lynch responded to a question about the reboot’s progress by saying, “I don’t know. There are complications.”
The series’ revival was announced back in October, with star Kyle MacLachlan confirming his return as Agent Dale Cooper in January. The new episodes are meant to air in 2016, 25 years after the last season ended. However, considering how integral Lynch has been to the Twin Peaks brand, his departure could put the whole project in limbo.
Update: On Sunday night, Showtime issued the following the statement, indicating that they still have hope of bringing Lynch on board:
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.
Perhaps they were moved by the poetry of Kimmy Robertson, aka receptionist Lucy Moran:
