(Credits: Alamy)

After his tragic passing, Netflix CEO Ted Sarandos described David Lynch as an “apologetic genius,” and revealed their plans to work with the director on a limited series.

Many people in the film industry have paid tribute to him, with Sarandos praising his work on social media and adding that he “will always wonder about what he had in mind for us with what would have been his last project.” 

The CEO also revealed that Lynch once invited him to his home to discuss stocking copies of Eraserhead, expressing that he felt the pair would cross paths again and potentially collaborate on a project.

Sarandos described Lynch’s pitch to Netflix, saying, “He came into Netflix to pitch a limited series which we jumped at. It was a David Lynch production, so filled with mystery and risks but we wanted to go on this creative ride with this genius. First Covid, then some health uncertainties lead to this project never being produced but we made it clear that as soon as he was able, we were all in.”

While this may be a surprise to some, rumours have circulated about this project for a while, with Lynch reportedly working on a show called Unrecorded Night, which Netflix had given the code name Wisteria.

Lynch was planned to write and direct all 13 episodes and an $85 million budget, with cinematographer Peter Deming also joining the production, who had worked on Mulholland Drive and Lost Highway with the director.

While Sarandos did not refer to the name of the show in his tribute post, the description of the fabled project that was impacted by Covid-19 aligns with Sabrina Sutherland’s description, who was Lynch’s long-time collaborator and producer. When discussing the show, Sutherland said, “Unrecorded Night was a non-Twin Peaks series that was going to shoot at Netflix but was cancelled when the pandemic hit,” she said at the time. “There’s always a chance we can pick it up again, but David has been enjoying his artwork and music endeavors, so we haven’t gone back to it yet.”