Despite exiting his planned Twin Peaks revival a month and a half ago following battles with Showtime over salary and budgetary requirements, David Lynch is back on board with the project, directing more than the announced nine episodes.
Lynch took to Twitter on Friday to announced the news, writing:
Dear Twitter Friends, the rumors are not what they seem ….. It is !!! Happening again. #TwinPeaks returns on @SHO_Network
— David Lynch (@DAVID_LYNCH) May 16, 2015
Showtime president David Nevins was quick to corroborate, releasing an off-the-cuff statement that expressed his enthusiasm at the prospect of working with Lynch and co-creator Mark Frost:
“This damn fine cup of coffee from Mark and David tastes more delicious than ever. Totally worth the extra brewing time and the cup is even bigger than we expected. David will direct the whole thing which will total more than the originally announced nine hours. Preproduction starts now!!”
Fans were dismayed when Lynch backed away from Twin Peaks, explaining that he hadn’t been offered enough money to direct and oversee the revival in the way he felt it needed to be done.
The original cast of Twin Peaks quickly rallied behind the auteur, arguing that Showtime could not in good faith continue with a Twin Peaks series without the show’s creative mastermind. And given that the scripts had already been written, with Kyle MacLachlan signed on to reprise his lead role, the network evidently felt invested enough in the revival to throw Lynch the added financial incentive he had demanded.
After all, Lynch’s distinctive direction is in large part what made Twin Peaks such a monumental show. Though it only lasted for two seasons, the Northwestern mystery is considered one of the most important series of the late ’80s and early ’90s, having influenced dozens of shows including like Bates Motel, The Killing and Hannibal, and Lynch’s surrealist eye for the strange is without a doubt one of the things that made Twin Peaks so unique. Here’s hoping the revival will be just as thrillingly mesmerizing.
