David Lynch has announced he will no longer be directing the revival of the classic television show Twin Peaks, after the year-long negotiations failed.
The director and co-creator of the series said he had not been offered enough money by US television network Showtime "to do the script in the way I felt it needed to be done".
Revealing the news in a series of tweets, he said: "I love the world of Twin Peaks and wish things could have worked out differently."
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Lynch created the cult drama, which first aired in 1990, with writer Mark Frost, and Lynch directed five episodes of the show. The series ran for two seasons before being cancelled in 1991.
The critically acclaimed show focused on the FBI investigation into the murder of a high school beauty queen in the surreal town of Twin Peaks. It "was a precursor of dense, cinematic TV shows like The Sopranos and The Wire”, said the BBC.
Nine new episodes were commissioned by Showtime last year, to the delight of fans around the world. The network promised to deliver long-awaited answers and "a satisfying conclusion" for the series’ passionate fan base.
Many of the original cast members had signed on to be part of the remake, with Kyle MacLachlan set to reprise his role as FBI agent Dale Cooper. However, it is unclear whether the actors will continue without Lynch's involvement. "This week I started to call actors to let them know I would not be directing," Lynch said.
Twin Peaks could still be remade, but "with co-creator and director Lynch stepping down, this isn’t the kind of revival any fan wanted," said The Guardian's Brian Moylan.
Shortly after his announcement on social media, Showtime released its own statement, saying it was "saddened" by the news and believed the parties had been making progress in the negotiations.
"We continue to hold out hope that we can bring [Twin Peaks] back in all its glory with both of its extraordinary creators, David Lynch and Mark Frost, at its helm."
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