David Lynch leaves Showtime's 'Twin Peaks' series

The owls really won't be what they seem now that the original "Twin Peaks" co-creator and director isn't at the reins of Showtime's new take on "Twin Peaks."

David Lynch tweeted and posted on Facebook his announcement on Sunday:

"Dear Facebook Friends: Showtime did not pull the plug on Twin Peaks. After 1 year and 4 months of negotiations, 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. Twin Peaks may still be very much alive at Showtime. I love the world of Twin Peaks and wish things could have worked out differently."

Showtime issued a statement shortly after Lynch's announcement.

"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," Showtime said in the statement, according to Variety. "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."

It will be interesting to see which of the original actors will still be on-board with Showtime's version of "Twin Peaks" without Lynch calling the shots. (Showtime, like Crave parent CNET, is owned by CBS.)

Since Lynch, along with co-creator Frost, hinted and then officially announced with Showtime last October that "Twin Peaks" would be returning to TV, fans have been speculating about not only who would return to reprise their characters' roles, but also who would be writing and directing the new series.

Originally, the upcoming 2016 "Twin Peaks" series was to feature nine all-new episodes co-written by Lynch and Frost and directed by Lynch, with the series continuing with events that occurred during the Season 2 finale, and with the passage of 25 years proving an important element in the series plot, Lynch had told Variety.

Actor Kyle MacLachlan -- who is currently having fun playing an insane father figure over on Marvel's "Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D." -- had confirmed in January that he would return as Agent Cooper.

Even David Duchovny -- who will be in the return of his show "The X-Files" -- hinted that he would love to reprise his role as the cross-dressing DEA agent Dennis/Denise Bryson in the new "Twin Peaks" series.

Fans circulate a pro-Lynch petition
"Twin Peaks" was set to go into production this year, but with this announcement and most likely more to come from both Frost (who has yet to officially respond to Lynch's announcement) and the current cast, it is unclear if the Showtime series will be ready for a 2016 air date as previously planned.

Already, fans have started a Change.org petition to get Lynch back on the new "Twin Peaks" Showtime series. Even original "Twin Peaks" actress Mädchen Amick -- who played Double R Diner waitress Shelly Johnson -- tweeted about the petition: "Go #peaksies go! Love it! What 'they' don't seem to understand is that the viewers have the power!"

Only the Log Lady knows for sure what we can expect to see.