After years of speculation and vaguely cryptic tweets from David Lynch, the official announcement was made today that Twin Peaks, his cult classic TV show co-created by Mark Frost, will return to television in 2016. The new limited-run season will air on Showtime and will reportedly only partially relate to the events of the first two seasons. Frost, kind of, reassured that the return will have some answers to the cliffhangers left when the original show was cancelled after its second season. Otherwise, it appears the return to the old Washington logging town will follow a new investigation, surely with no shortage of equally bizarre townsfolk.
Arguably, the best part of this news is that David Lynch is returning to the director’s chair for the entire season. Seeing as the idea of one filmmakers taking on a full season is becoming more of a thing, as Lynch will be joining Cary Fukunaga, Steven Soderbergh, and David Fincher in doing so, it is certainly welcomed that the director handle it all. This will also mark the first true directorial effort from Lynch since 2006’s Inland Empire (a handful of shorts, music videos and a Duran Duran concert aside.) Ten years since his last film, and 25 years after Laura Palmer promised to return, the show will be in the best possible hands.
There has been no confirmation as to who might be returning from the cast, notably Kyle MacLachlan, who nearly withdrew completely from the 1992 follow-up film Fire Walk With Me. The actor has not been a stranger to weird roles, recently reoccurring as the mayor of Portland on IFC’s Portlandia. Many cast members have turned out over the years to reminisce with fans as the show garnered a surge of new popularity in the Netflix age. In 2010, the TV series Psych ran a tribute episode that featured Sherilyn Fenn, Sheryl Lee, Lenny Von Dohlen, Ray Wise, Catherine Coulson and Dana Ashbrook. So if their participation means anything, the new series should probably see some nice cameos, if not full on returning roles.
Even if Showtime’s Twin Peaks is ultimately different, there is no doubt it will be a big event, maybe even breaking some records for the network. We will be eagerly awaiting any forthcoming information about casting and production, notably whether or not Lynch will return to the same twisted soap aesthetic of the early 90s series, or will adopt a new form. In the world of Twin Peaks, it has never been inappropriate to speculate. We will just have to listen closely to the trees.
Here is the official announcement video:
