This is why we can’t have nice things. After a crazy few months in which a third season of Twin Peaks was excitedly announced and inexplicably stalled, David Lynch has recused himself from the much-awaited reboot. Below is the bad news straight from the horse’s mouth:
The obvious question: What in the world is Twin Peaks without David Lynch? The obvious answer: a not-as-good show, and perhaps one not even worth airing. The series draws its life-blood from Lynch’s oneiric, off-kilter sensibilities, and though he’s already written all nine episodes of the new season it’s unlikely that Showtime finds a director with enough chops and command of the material to do justice to the scripts. Lynch, for his part, is somewhat ambiguous in his statements: It’s unclear if he simply means Showtime didn’t offer enough production funds, or if part of the problem was his own compensation.
Given how up-and-down this project has been, as well as the immense amount of fan interest in a third season, there may be hope yet. As Lynch notes, the show is technically still alive. But the best option would be for a network—Showtime or not—to scrounge up the money needed to bring Lynch back on board.
