Twin Peaks (2017 TV series)

Development

Following the cancellation of Twin Peaks by ABC in 1991, and the release of David Lynch's 1992 prequel film Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me, Lynch reportedly planned two more films, which would have continued and then concluded the series' narrative. But in a 2001 interview, he said that the Twin Peaks franchise was as "dead as a doornail."

In 2007, artist Matt Haley and Twin Peaks producer Robert Engels began work on a graphic novel continuation of the series, to be included in the "Complete Mystery" DVD box set. Haley stated: "Bob and I had a number of discussions about what the story would be, I was keen to use whatever notes they had for the proposed third season. I really wanted this to be a literal 'third season' of the show." Lynch vetoed the project, stating that he respected the effort but did not want to continue the story of Twin Peaks in any way.

Rumors spread in early 2013 that some form of return to Twin Peaks was imminent, though these were dismissed by Lynch's daughter Jennifer Lynch (author of The Secret Diary of Laura Palmer), as well as co-creator Mark Frost, who wrote that "truth is more valuable and much harder to come by". In May 2013, cast member Ray Wise stated what Lynch had said to him regarding a possible continuation: "Well, Ray, you know, the town is still there. And I suppose it's possible that we could revisit it. Of course, you're already dead... but we could maybe work around that."

In 2014, the development and release of the Twin Peaks: The Complete Mystery Blu-ray set, in addition to Wise's earlier comments, caused fans to speculate that Twin Peaks would return in some form. In January 2014, a casting call for a "Twin Peaks promo" to be directed by David Lynch was revealed to be the filming of a featurette for The Complete Mystery. In September 2014, Lynch answered a question about Twin Peaks at the Lucca Film Festival by saying it was a "tricky question", and that "there's always a possibility... and you just have to wait and see."

Announcement

On October 6, 2014, it was announced that a nine episode miniseries would air on Showtime, written by David Lynch and Mark Frost and to be directed entirely by Lynch. Frost emphasized that the new episodes are not a remake or reboot but a continuation of the series. The episodes are set in the present day, and the passage of 25 years is an important element in the plot. Regarding whether the miniseries will continue into an ongoing series, Frost said, "The proof will be in the pudding. If we have a great time doing it and everybody loves it and they decide there's room for more, I could see it going that way."

In March 2015, Lynch expressed doubts for the production due to "complications". However, Showtime confirmed the series was moving forward, stating, "Nothing is going on that's any more than any preproduction process with David Lynch. Everything is moving forward and everybody is crazy thrilled and excited." In April 2015, Lynch stated he was not returning to direct the nine episodes due to budget constraints. However, Lynch and Showtime were able to come to an agreement, with Lynch confirming on May 15, 2015, that he would return to direct, and that there would be more episodes than the originally announced nine. At a Twin Peaks panel in Seattle, cast members Sherilyn Fenn and Sheryl Lee said that the new series would consist of 18 episodes and Angelo Badalamenti would return as composer.

Casting

On January 12, 2015, Kyle MacLachlan was confirmed as returning to the series. It was reported that Peter Sarsgaard had been cast; however, he later revealed that "I'm not doing Twin Peaks" and it "was a rumor that was not founded on nothing." In October 2015, it was confirmed that Michael Ontkean, who portrays Sheriff Harry S. Truman and has since retired from acting, would not return for the revival. The role of town sheriff has reportedly been filled by Robert Forster, who was originally cast in the role of Truman in the pilot, but had to be replaced with Ontkean due to scheduling issues. Also in October, David Duchovny teased his return as DEA Agent Denise Bryson. In November 2015, it was reported that Miguel Ferrer would reprise his role as Albert Rosenfield, and that Richard Beymer and David Patrick Kelly would reprise their roles as Benjamin Horne and Jerry Horne, respectively. In December 2015, Alicia Witt confirmed she would reprise her role as Gersten Hayward.

Russ Tamblyn underwent open heart surgery in late 2014 and was still recovering as of 2015. Lynch and Frost were still hoping Tamblyn would join the cast for the new season. On September 28, 2015, Catherine E. Coulson, who was planned to reprise her role of the Log Lady in the new series, died of cancer. Both Tamblyn and Coulson were later confirmed to be part of the cast, as Coulson had been filmed in a few scenes before her death.

The series' first teaser trailer, released in December 2015, confirmed the involvement of Michael Horse (Tommy "Hawk" Hill). In January 2016, it was reported that Sherilyn Fenn would reprise her role as Audrey Horne in a "major presence." In February 2016, it was reported that David Lynch would reprise his role as Gordon Cole. Frequent Lynch collaborator Laura Dern was cast in a "top-secret pivotal role". In April 2016, a complete cast list was released, featuring 217 actors, with actors returning from the earlier series marked with asterisks.

David Bowie intended to make a cameo appearance as FBI Agent Phillip Jeffries, his character from Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me, but the musician's death from cancer in January 2016 prevented this from happening. In January and February 2017, respectively, cast members Miguel Ferrer and Warren Frost both died, however both will appear in the new series.

Filming

In July 2015, Frost suggested that the series would premiere in 2017 as opposed to 2016, its original planned air date. The series began filming in September 2015, and Showtime president David Nevins said that regarding the premiere date, "I'm hoping we make 2016. It's not clear. It's ultimately going to be in [series co-creators David Lynch and Mark Frost's] control." Nevins also stated, "I don't know [how many episodes there will be]. They're going to decide, I expect it to be more than nine, but it's open-ended. I know what the shooting schedule is and then we'll have him cut into it however many episodes it feels best at." In January 2016, Nevins confirmed that the series would premiere in the first half of 2017. The series was shot continuously from a single, long shooting script, before being split into multiple episodes in editing. As such, the number of episodes will not be clear until editing is finished. In January 2016, it was reported that filming was more than halfway through the shooting schedule. Filming was completed by April 2016.

Cast

On April 25, 2016, the entire cast was revealed, including 217 actors.

Release

Twin Peaks will premiere on Showtime on May 21, 2017, with a two-hour episode. After the airing, the premiere and an additional two episodes will stream online, and the series will be shown in weekly increments from that point onwards (at Lynch's insistence). Overall, the series will consist of 18 episodes.