David Lynch pulls out of 'Twin Peaks' sequel

Filmmaker David Lynch announced Sunday that he has left Showtime's planned revival of his cult-classic 1990s TV series "Twin Peaks."

"After 1 year and 4 months of negotiations," Lynch, 69, tweeted, "I left because not enough money was offered to do the script the way I felt it needed to be done. This weekend I started to call actors to let them know I would not be directing. . . . I love the world of Twin Peaks and wish things could have worked out differently."

While assuring fans, "Showtime did not pull the plug on Twin Peaks," the filmmaker could not confirm the project's ultimate fate, tweeting, "Twin Peaks may still be very much alive at Showtime."

A Showtime representative told TVLine.com on Sunday that the nine-episode miniseries -- a sequel to the 1990-91 ABC series and the 1992 movie continuation "Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me" -- remained "status quo." But upon learning of Lynch's tweets, the network released a longer statement: "We were saddened to read David Lynch's statement today since we believed we were working towards solutions with David and his reps on the few remaining deal points," the Showtime statement said. "Showtime also loves the world of Twin Peaks and we 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."

The cable network had announced in October that series creators and executive producers Lynch and Frost would write and produce all episodes and that Lynch would direct each. The sequel, set in the present day, was scheduled to enter production this year and air next year.

"Twin Peaks," an absurdist, serialized drama and primetime-soap parody, starred Kyle MacLachlan as FBI agent Dale Cooper, whose investigation of the murder of homecoming queen Laura Palmer in the titular Pacific Northwest logging town uncovered bizarre, ultimately supernatural goings-on. Showtime announced in January that MacLachlan would reprise his role.

In March, Lynch told Australian radio program "Books and Arts" that, "We are still working on a contract."

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Shortly after Lynch's announcement, Kimmy Robertson, who played Sheriff's Department secretary Lucy Moran on the original series, posted on her Facebook account, "Dear Showtime. . . . I hope you're happy."