It’s been 4 years since Lynch’s “Twin Peaks: The Return” changed the TV landscape forever, but, more importantly, signaled the return of a true master.
It seemed as though Lynch was getting back to work with a mysterious new project and a rumor back in March hinting that Lynch was partnering with Netflix for an upcoming limited series. No plot had been revealed, but there were rumblings of a possible “Mulholland Drive” spin-off or, even a continuation of “Twin Peaks: The Return.” Lynch veterans Naomi Watts and Laura Dern had even been spotted attending a meeting at Netflix headquarters for this undisclosed project.
If that wasn’t enough to whet your appetite, then how about a casting note from The Girlfriend Experience, adding more intrigue to the puzzle: “The lead of the new David Lynch film requires tasteful nudity. Actress with dark hair in their mid to late 20s.”
Back in February, there was a supposed insider on Reddit who had posted details about Lynch’s upcoming project, which was said to shoot in late spring, before the pandemic hit, under the working title of “Wisteria.” The rumor had Netflix greenlighting 13 hour-long episodes and a budget of $85 million. The mini-series may or may not have been a set of hour-long movies, it was never confirmed, but then Production Weekly notes posted the day after that the working title listed was indeed “Wisteria.” The listing also stated that production was due to begin in May 2021 and that it would be filming in The Calvert Studios.
Lynch was listed as the writer/director for the project.
The usually tight-lipped Lynch then revealed on his YouTube channel that he was going to shoot a new movie. And then, radio silence … May 2021 came and went, still no indication that anything was happening. Then there was the news that Netflix completely scrapped the project.
This comes after the streaming giant had pulled the axe on a David Cronenberg pitched mini-series as well.
Then this little tidbit of news from a Lynch mega fan:
“In September of last year, I was told by someone in-charge of one of the original shooting locations in Snoqualmie that Lynch and his team had indeed been in town that summer shooting something that was post-apocalyptic in nature. I asked him four times if he was sure that Lynch himself was there, and the guy told me he’s positive that it was Lynch. That would line up with the reports that went out to local businesses alerting them of someone filming happening there, and reports of Amanda Seyfreid being seen in Washington at the time, and what Dern said about Lynch being “up to something radical and fantastic.” And of course, the hair-and-beard thing.
Ironically, Cannes could turn out to be the revenge of The Davids, as Cronenberg and Lynch might very well both premiere their respective new films on the Croisette. To hell with Netflix.