This is turning into one of the biggest what-ifs in cinema history, and it’s absolutely heartbreaking to watch it unfold as more details continue to emerge.
Earlier in the week, Peter Deming, David Lynch’s longtime collaborator, told The Film Stage that before his passing, Lynch was working on a massive series called “Unrecorded Night,” which would have continued the filmmaker’s L.A. trilogy (“Lost Highway,” “Mulholland Drive,” and “Inland Empire”).
Today, speaking to The Times, Lynch’s daughter, Jennifer, confirmed that “Unrecorded Night” would have likely starred Kyle MacLachlan, Laura Dern, and Naomi Watts in key roles.
While the project never reached production, there’s still hope for the screenplay to be released in some form, maybe even made available as a published script:
We are considering offering that as a published piece. It would be very sad if people didn’t get to see it.
In 2019, Lynch had made a deal with Netflix to write and direct “Unrecorded Night,” and it even came close to entering production, only for COVID to pause development indefinitely. Post-2021, we’re not entirely sure if it was the streamer or Lynch himself that further delayed momentum on the project.
Meanwhile, Mark Frost, Lynch’s ‘Twin Peaks’ collaborator, revealed that he and Lynch once floated a very early concept for another season of ‘Twin Peaks,’ though nothing progressed due to Lynch’s declining health. “There may be other ways,” Frost added, hinting the door isn’t entirely closed—even if no continuation is currently planned.