This weekend the quirky and unique director and visionary David Lynch announced after months of working on a new Twin Peaks series for Showtime that he was walking away from the project.  The reason cited was, of course, money.  Showtime had been voicing support for the series but clearly negotiations broke down and now the likelihood of a new series is uncertain.  Key cast members including Kyle MacLachlan and Sheryl Lee had already signed on for the project.  Most of the original cast were also in support of the series and eager to jump back into the world of that slightly askew town near Snoqualmie Falls, Washington.

Lynch expressed his status on Facebook:  “Showtime did not pull the plug on Twin Peaks.  After one year and four 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.”

Showtime issued this response: “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.”

It sounds like the typical posturing of any business negotiations.  But it prompted nearly a dozen cast members yesterday to share their own short video message encouraging Showtime to work out a deal with Lynch.  Many of these messages refer back to their characters.  The former cast members who supplied the video messages are Sheryl Lee (Laura Palmer), Dana Ashbrook (Bobby Briggs), Sherilyn Fenn (Audrey Horne), Madchen Amick (Shelly Johnson), Peggy Lipton (Norma Jennings), James Marshall (James Hurley), Kimmy Robertson (Lucy Moran), Gary Hershberger (Mike Nelson), Catherine E. Coulson (The Log Lady), Wendy Robie (Nadine Hurley), and Al Strobel (Phillip Gerard).

After the break, take a look at what all these cast members look like today, and what they came up with to try to coax the powers that be onward and upward:

Stay tuned for more information as the series slowly moves beyond the pre-production stage.  Lynch already prepared several scripts for the series, so it’s possible Showtime has what it needs to move forward with show co-creator Mark Frost.  The earliest the show was expected to air would be in 2016.

C.J. Bunce
Editor
borg.com