David Lynch: Laura Palmer's Death Still Relevant to Twin Peaks Revival

CBR

By Lauren Gallaway

Published Jan 10, 2017

Laura Palmer's death and Fire Walk With Me are still relevant, according to Twin Peaks creator David Lynch.

Today Showtime announced the premiere date for the long-awaited "Twin Peaks" revival series. The announcement came via the Television Critics Association press tour, where Director David Lynch and various cast members were in attendance.

While the show doesn't premiere until May 21st, Lynch did make some comments on what to expect when the series airs. For instance, even though "Twin Peaks" picks up 25 years after the events of the first two seasons, the show will still be affected by the death of Laura Palmer. Palmer was found dead in the pilot -- her murder was the main focus of the show -- even after her killer was found in Season 2.

Lynch also said that the prequel film, "Fire Walk With Me," is also relevant to the new series. "Fire Walk With Me" was released as a feature film and showcased the seven days before Laura was murdered. While it filled in some time gaps regarding her death, three new FBI agents were also introduced in the film: Phillip Jeffries, Chester Desmond, and Sam Stanley, as portrayed by David Bowie, Chris Isaak, and Keifer Sutherland, respectively.

And now, the cast of #TwinPeaks at #TCA17! pic.twitter.com/PTiJaTg912

— SHO_PR (@SHO_PR) January 10, 2017

Some of the cast was also featured on the panel today, including returning actors Kyle MacLachlan, Mädchen Amich, and Kimmy Robertson, as well as newcomers Laura Dern and Robert Forster. Amich (who is also starring in the new series "Riverdale,") said that mere days before she was contacted for the revival that she never thought the show would return. Amich also said that while she had her own vision of what her character Shelley Johnson's life would look like 25 years later, Lynch's version was much different.

MacLachlan and Dern, who previously worked together on "Blue Velvet" with Lynch, admitted that they did have scenes together in the new series, though they couldn't reveal much more. Dern, who didn't say exactly who she was going to play, did admit that her character was completely new to the show.

The panel also revealed that new season of "Twin Peaks" was shot as one consecutive film, which Lynch has divided into 18 episodes. The first two episodes will air back-to-back on Showtime, May 21 at 9 p.m. Episodes three and four will be available to stream after the premiere on Showtime's streaming app. The consecutive episodes will continue to air on Showtime Sunday nights.

"The Golden Globe® and Peabody Award-winning TWIN PEAKS returns as a new limited series. Considered one of the most groundbreaking and influential broadcast series of all time. Directed entirely by David Lynch, the new SHOWTIME series picks up twenty-five years after the inhabitants of a quaint northwestern town were stunned when their homecoming queen Laura Palmer was shockingly murdered. TWIN PEAKS is written and executive produced by series creators David Lynch and Mark Frost."