David Lynch, who was expected to direct the entire series, made the announcement on Twitter.
The future of Showtime’s revival of “Twin Peaks” was thrown into doubt Sunday evening after the show’s co-creator, David Lynch, announced that he would not direct any episodes after a disagreement about the show’s budget.
Lynch, who was expected to direct the entire series, made the announcement on Twitter.
“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,” he wrote on Twitter.
He said that he called “Twin Peaks” actors this weekend to let them know he would not be returning to direct. “‘Twin Peaks’ may still be very much alive at Showtime,” he added.
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The premium cable channel said in a statement that producers “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.” Showtime also said that it felt it was making progress in negotiations with Lynch on “the few remaining deal points.” It was not clear whether Showtime would go forward without Lynch.
The network announced last October to great fanfare that the show set in the Pacific Northwest would debut in 2016 for a limited nine-episode series. Production was expected to begin this year. Entertainment Weekly reported last month that Showtime had received all of the scripts for the show, written by Lynch and Frost.
When “Twin Peaks” had its debut in 1990 on ABC, it was one-of-a-kind for broadcast TV, a supernatural and spooky comic drama. The show centered on the mystery behind the death of a popular high school student named Laura Palmer. Its pilot episode drew more than 34 million viewers, but its audience steadily declined and the show was canceled after its second season.
The Showtime “Twin Peaks” revival was one example of several 1990s shows that are currently being reprised, including “Coach” for NBC, “The X-Files” for Fox, and, reportedly, “Full House” for Netflix.
Kyle MacLachlan, the actor behind the series lead, Special Agent Dale Cooper, said in January that he was returning to the show, as well.
“I love the world of ‘Twin Peaks’ and wish things could have worked out differently,” Lynch wrote on Twitter.