David Lynch: “Directors Won’t Be Able to Make Movies Again Until There’s A Vaccine”

I love David Lynch. He truly is a hero of mine and not just because he’s made some truly incredible films, but because he inspires - he’s inspired me to drink great coffee, meditate more, and, most importantly, look at the world with a whole new set of eyes.

I always pay attention to any interview he does, whatever new things he has to say.

Another brutally honest sitdown with Lynch, this time with THR, has the filmmaker being asked about quarantine, film, TV and Denis Villeneuve’s upcoming “Dune.” It’s a short but mandatory read for any cinephile, especially at a time when people are freaking out in isolation, not knowing what the future world will look like even a week from now. Lynch seems genuinely positive about the whole thing.

Among the more interesting details in this chat with THR writer Seth Abramovitch, Lynch is asked which is more appealing, TV or film? As you surely know, the filmmaker has worked both mediums, but because of the larger creative palette and freedoms he got with “Twin Peaks: The Return,” the director now seems to prefer working on TV.

“Right now. feature films in my book are in big trouble, except for the big blockbusters,” said the filmmaker. “The art house films, they don’t stand a chance. They might go to a theater for a week and if it’s a Cineplex they go to the smallest theater in the setup, and then they go to Blu-ray or On Demand. The big-screen experience right now is gone. Gone, but not forgotten.”

“I really love a continuing story, and cable television I say is the new art house. You have total freedom. The sound isn’t as good as a great theater; the picture isn’t as big — but TVs are getting bigger and bigger and better and better, so there’s hope. And then you have this chance for a continuing story, so it’s the new art house, I say.”

Lynch also believes that even if he decided to make another movie he wouldn’t able to, no filmmaker really would according to him, until there is a mass vaccine for COVID-19 and things can finally go back to normal:

“You can’t work on a film right now and I think for a long time, we won’t be able to work with a big crew in a normal way of filmmaking. It’s just too dangerous right now. It’s really something to think about. I don’t really think I can make a film until there’s a vaccine.”

Then the conversation switched to “Dune.” Obviously, having made a terrible “Dune” back in 1984, Lynch would be curious about what Denis Villeneuve had in store for his own version coming out later this fall. Surprisingly, Lynch couldn’t care less about it and is still haunted by the failure of his own adaptation of Frank Herbert’s classic sci-fi novel.

“I have zero interest in ‘Dune.’” Lynch continued, “Because it was a heartache for me. It was a failure and I didn’t have final cut. I’ve told this story a billion times. It’s not the film I wanted to make. I like certain parts of it very much — but it was a total failure for me.”