Development

As originally reported in The Hollywood Reporter, a handful of popular cast members of the cult classic Twin Peaks come out in support of their writer/director David Lynch in his highly publicized budget battles with Showtime. This is in response to Lynch’s Twitter-based announcement over the weekend that he was stepping away from the project in his capacity as director because he did not feel he could deliver the highly anticipated 2016 reboot on the budget Showtime had allocated.

In the video, former cast members Sherilyn Fenn, Sheryl Lee, James Marshall, Peggy Lipton in addition to others praise Lynch and say the revival without him would be “like pies without cherries.” They have also initiated a #SaveTwinPeaks campaign on Twitter to draw attention.

The only former cast member confirmed for the revival is Kyle McLachlan who does not appear in the video.

According to the article, Showtime remains firm that they were in contract negotiations with Lynch and is hopeful they can bring Twin Peaks back to the small screen in tact. With Lynch.

Director David Lynch today announced via Twitter (linked below) that he has decided to split ways with Showtime’s upcoming return to the early 90s cult classic Twin Peaks over budget issues. The new, abbreviated season has been penned by co-creators Lynch and Mark Frost and were supposed to begin filming this year for a 2016 air date.

According to Variety, Lynch’s announcement seemed to be a bit of a surprise to Showtime. The trade quotes the network an hour after the tweets went live as saying, “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.”

This does not indicate a direct death of the revival, but it does deal it a serious blow as Twin Peaks has long been associated with the David Lynch brand. It is unknown what the next steps are or if Lynch’s direction of the project is indeed fully withdrawn. Showtime appears fully committed to bringing the series back, so it’s not clear if this unexpected Twitter announcement is some sort of bargining ploy on Lynch’s behalf.

As the scripts are reportedly already penned, Showtime could easily reach out to one of the many directors who guided the series back in its original run to bring home the series. But, if I’m being honest, the revival loses a little something for me if Lynch isn’t directing it.

Stay tuned to Awards Daily TV for further updates on this developing story. Or,  you can just ask the log…

Dear Twitter Friends, Showtime did not pull the plug on Twin Peaks.

— David Lynch (@DAVID_LYNCH) April 5, 2015

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.

— David Lynch (@DAVID_LYNCH) April 5, 2015

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.

— David Lynch (@DAVID_LYNCH) April 5, 2015

I love the world of Twin Peaks and wish things could have worked out differently.

— David Lynch (@DAVID_LYNCH) April 5, 2015

Yeah, so, before you ask… It’s not a leftover April Fool’s joke.

According to an exclusive originally reported by The Hollywood Reporter, former Saturday Night Live comics Will Ferrell and Kristen Wiig have already filmed a complete Lifetime TV movie called A Deadly Adoption. Assuming this is real, the satiric telepic will air on the network in early summer.

The film seems to be a dramatic thriller about a wealthy couple who bring a pregnant woman into their house in hopes of adopting her baby. Undoubtedly, the film will dance the line between satirizing the Lifetime telepic genre and being a Lifetime telepic. Lifetime will celebrate its 25th anniversary this year of producing such melodramatic teledramas as Liz & Dick, the African-American Steel Magnolias, and Why I Wore Lipstick To My Mastectomy.

It’s not a completely out of left field choice for Wiig as she starred in IFC’s The Spoils of Babylon last year and received an Emmy nomination for her participation with a follow-up due later this year. Ferrell had an extended cameo in that mini-series as an Orson Welles-like writer. Spoils writer Andrew Steele penned the Deadly script.

I’m a little concerned that this is being touted as a more legitimate, heartfelt attempt at a Lifetime TV movie rather than the skewering I so desperately want it to be. Spoils felt like a step in the right direction by satirizing decade-spanning mini-series like The Thorn Birds but quickly wore out its welcome mostly due to an annoying performance by Tobey Maguire. Deadly, however, boasts a higher wattage, comically gifted main cast.

That is, unless I’ve fallen for a massive April Fool’s joke. And, if that’s the case, then screw you, Hollywood Reporter.

Update: According to Entertainment Weekly, Ferrell and Wiig have cancelled this mysterious Lifetime project, furthering the speculation that it was indeed an April Fool’s joke all along. Other sources claim the film is completely made. Who knows?

Here is Ferrell’s statement as relayed to Entertainment Weekly: “We are deeply disappointed that our planned top secret project was made public. Kristen and I have decided it is in the best interest for everyone to forego the project entirely, and we thank Lifetime and all the people who were ready to help us make this film.”

The Hollywood Reporter reports today that NBC and its perennial partnership with producing partners (that’s a lot of alliteration) Craig Zadan and Neil Meron have settled on the Tony award-winning musical The Wiz as its next live musical event. Upping the ante over past productions, The Wiz will reportedly feature spectacle from Cirque du Soleil and will head to Broadway the following spring for the 2016-2017 season. No cast announcements have been made to date.

The production, a musical retelling of the classic The Wizard of Oz starring an African-American cast, follows the recent explosion of diversity on network television including Black-ish, How to Get Away with Murder, Fresh off the Boat, Cristela, and – perhaps most importantly for this material – FOX’s smash hit musical Empire. It’s a wise selection for the network because not only does it feature popular, catchy tunes but it also is a more modern production that will undoubtedly attract a broader, younger audience – the kind advertisers crave.

Set to air on Thursday, December 3, the televised musical is the latest in the recent string of successful productions that began with Sound of Music Live! and, to a lesser extent, Peter Pan Live!. Zadan and Meron, who recently announced that they will not return to produce the 2016 Oscar telecast, and NBC aren’t pulling any punches with this elaborate production: Tony award-winner Kenny Leon (A Raisin in the Sun) will direct the production with Harvey Fierstein (Kinky Boots, Newsies) providing new material to accompany the original book by William F. Brown.

The Wiz originally premiered on Broadway in 1975, won 7 Tony Awards, and ran for four years. Its 1978 film version was directed by Sidney Lumet and famously starred Diana Ross, Michael Jackson, Richard Pryor, and Lena Horne. It featured eye-popping, often nightmarish visuals that were countered by a soundtrack of memorable songs including “Ease On Down The Road,” “You Can’t Win,” “Brand New Day,” and “Home.” The film only grossed about half of its original budget, however, but has since become something of a cult classic among ethnic audiences.

There was some speculation as to the next featured property in NBC’s annual musical event. Zadan and Meron have previously announced options on other Broadway hits including The Music Man and A Few Good Men. No further announcements have been made indicating if or when those properties will see the small screen.

Gamers of the world rejoice! Streaming content provider Netflix is reportedly considering bringing to life Nintendo’s blockbuster video game series The Legend of Zelda, second only to Mario in terms of Nintendo character recognition, as a live-action series. Imagine the pitch: it’s a kid friendly Game of Thrones!

The Legend of Zelda originally focused on Link, a young boy on a quest to rescue the Princess Zelda, in the mythical land of Hyrule. Subsequent games have broadened the game’s mythology.

While an official announcement is yet to come from either Netflix or Nintendo, the venture would be well-timed as Netflix plans to launch its service in Nintendo’s home country of Japan later this year. It could certainly do worse than the Zelda series in terms of name recognition. Since launching the first title – The Legend of Zelda – in 1987, the series has spawned a total of 17 games and inspired an animated TV series in 1989.

A Zelda series would join Netflix’s other kid-friendly properties including a remake of Magic School Bus and A Series of Unfortunate Events.

One assumes this was already in the works, but the massive surprise box office of Clint Eastwood’s American Sniper surely encouraged Harvey Weinstein to get going on this 5-night miniseries based on The Reaper: Autobiography of One of the Deadliest Special Ops Snipers by Nicholas Irving.

Nicholas Irving, known as “The Reaper” to his fellow soldiers, was the first African American sniper (I’m going to go out on a limb and assume it’s not going to be called African American Sniper) in the U.S. Army 3rd Ranger Battalion, the elite special operations commando unit originally formed in 1943 and involved Afghanistan and Iraq as a part of 2003’s Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Iraqi Freedom respectively. With 33 kills, Irving is known as the 3rd Rangers’ deadliest snipers.

In a statement, Harvey Weinstein plays the patriot card because he knows it could equal ratings and money: “Nick Irving’s true bravery and heroism will make for some of the most riveting television ever seen and inspire patriotism in anyone who experiences it.”

Irving recently appeared on an episode of The Nightly Show with Larry Wilmore as part of a panel discussion on American Sniper.

via: THR