'Twin Peaks' cohorts hail its legacy, upcoming revival
Director David Lynch, actor Kyle MacLachlan and others discuss the series and why you should watch "Fire Walk With Me" before the revival airs May 21.
With the "Twin Peaks" revival less than two weeks away, fans are eager for clues about what will unfold for Agent Cooper and company.
Director David Lynch, his "Twin Peaks" co-creator Mark Frost, actors Kyle MacLachlan and Laura Dern, and Showtime CEO David Nevins discuss the original series and the long road to the revival in the May issue of Variety.
The original "Twin Peaks" lasted two seasons (30 episodes) on ABC from 1990 to 1991 and was followed up with the 1992 feature film, "Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me" -- a prequel to the television series.
The film, Lynch said, is "very important" for understanding the new series.
The road to getting the "Twin Peaks" revival off the ground was bumpy. At one point, Lynch announced he wasn't going to be directing the new series due to a breakdown in negotiations with Showtime. But after the original "Twin Peaks" actors posted videos about why Lynch was crucial to the revival, Showtime and Lynch came to an agreement and the series was back on.
"I always feel like it was the fans who were actually able to make this happen," MacLachlan said in a Variety video interview posted Tuesday. "Because they kept beating the drum -- sometimes it was fainter than others -- but it got to the point where we were all reminded it has been 25 years, and from there they (Lynch and Frost) were able to find a way back in."
"I don't think anyone who ever saw 'Twin Peaks' will ever have it not ingrained in their memory and imagination for the rest of their lives," Dern, who plays a yet-to-be-revealed role in the revival, told Variety.
The original "Twin Peaks" centered around the murder of high schooler Laura Palmer. However, the upcoming series is a complete mystery, especially since none of the 18 episodes will be released in advance to the press.
Frost warns fans that the revival will not follow the same structure as the original series. "It's going to be very different this time around," Frost said.
While we return to Snoqualmie, Washington, where "Twin Peaks" was originally filmed, fans can expect new locales.
"There are different threads in different parts of the US" that eventually converge, Nevins said. "It does not go outside the US, but it is in multiple locations in the US."
Director David Lynch enjoys his donut while reprising his role as FBI Regional Bureau Chief Agent Gordon Cole in the new "Twin Peaks" on Showtime.
The "Twin Peaks" revival will feature familiar characters such as Agent Dale Cooper (Kyle MacLachlan), Audrey Horne (Sherilyn Fenn), Shelly Johnson (Madchen Amick), FBI Regional Bureau Chief Gordon Cole (David Lynch), Deputy Hawk (Michael Horse), Bobby Briggs (Dana Ashbrook), Deputy Andy Brennan (Harry Goaz), James Hurley (James Marshall), Denise/Dennis Bryson (David Duchovny) and Doctor Jacoby (Russ Tamblyn).
Original characters The Log Lady (Catherine Coulson), Dr. Will Hayward (Warren Frost) and Albert Rosenfield (Miguel Ferrer) all filmed their scenes before they died.
Nevins let it slip in the interview with Variety that Lynch's character is "pretty prominent" in the new season. "I probably said too much," he noted.
New cast members include Dern, Robert Forster, Monica Bellucci, Tim Roth, Naomi Watts, Ashley Judd and even Nine Inch Nails front man Trent Reznor.
The interview does offer a clue that Dern's character and Agent Cooper will travel together in a car.
"Kyle and I had several scenes, particularly in the car, when we're talking about the robins," Dern said. "There's this very beautiful, hopeful poetry amidst this hellish world they've entered."
"Twin Peaks" -- 18 hours of it -- is set to debut on Showtime with a two-hour premiere at 9 p.m. ET/PT May 21.
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