Twin Peaks Revival Expands to 18 Episodes, Reunites with David Lynch
The Twin Peaks revival faced a huge roadblock in its quest to return last month when series creator/director David Lynch walked out on the production over money disputes with Showtime. At the time, it seemed like all was lost for the cult favorite TV series, with many questioning who was truly at fault over the breakup. However, a few weeks ago, Lynch and Showtime were able to settle their differences and re-negotiated a new contract.
For Twin Peaks fans, the news continues to get better. Not only is Lynch returning to direct all nine episodes that were originally ordered, the episode order for the season has doubled to 18 episodes. Rumors about Lynch's departure swirled about his vision extending past the original nine episode order, and the announcement all but confirms the source of conflict. As I said at the time, "...with some like Lynch, anything less than full commitment would probably garner a weaker product," and that appears to be very true in this instance.
Situations like this are rare in the entertainment industry, but it's great to see Showtime understands and respects Lynch's artistic vision. Hopefully, this whole situation will be nothing more than a curious footnote come the show's return.
[via /Film]
David Lynch Walks Out on Twin Peaks Revival
When the third season of Twin Peaks was announced last October, the internet exploded with excitement. I've never been a fan of series creator David Lynch, but I admire his approach to his surrealist storytelling. With the TV medium as a whole ushering in a heightened level of quality in terms of both storytelling and cinematography, having a show like Twin Peaks (which itself helped revolutionize serial storytelling in the early 90s) return would further establish the current golden era of TV.
With that said, Lynch pulled a patented Lynch-esque twist over the weekend by publicly quitting on the project mid-production. Through a series of tweets, the enigmatic writer explained the reasons behind his departure:
Dear Twitter Friends, 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 to call 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.
The original plan for the third season involved Lynch and series co-writer/creator Mark Frost writing the scripts with Lynch at the helm directing the full nine-episode season. However, with his departure, the show's future is up in the air. As Lynch mentioned in his tweets, the show still could carry on with Frost and the cast on board, but losing such a large entity as Lynch would dampen expectations and excitement for the show.
Furthermore, it's unfortunate that the dissolving of the relationship is due to money. Granted, it's understandable that Lynch would want a certain budget allotted to accomplish his vision in full, but budgetary restrictions are nothing new, especially in Hollywood. Then again, with some like Lynch, anything less than full commitment would probably garner a weaker product. We'll see how this story develops over the coming weeks.
[via /Film]