Director David Lynch hasn’t released a feature film since Inland Empire in 2006. That may soon change. Via Variety, Lynch will premiere a previously unknown movie at the festival. And so far, no one except Lynch and his performers know what it is.
There are two prevailing theories about what this mystery movie might be. It could be a stand-alone project that was filmed largely in secret. Or it may be an extended version of the pilot episode for Wisteria, a new original drama that Lynch is creating for Netflix. Either way, the project is rumored to feature Laura Dern, Naomi Watts, and “some other Lynch regulars.” But nothing has been confirmed yet.
Lynch made his feature film directorial debut 45 years ago with the release of the surreal horror film called Eraserhead. Lynch’s second film, The Elephant Man, was an emotionally moving biopic about Joseph Merrick. It was nominated for Best Picture in 1980, with Lynch securing his first nomination as Best Director.
Lynch’s third feature film, Dune, followed in 1984. However, Lynch’s take on Frank Herbert’s sci-fi epic left audiences puzzled and it failed to live up to the studio’s box office expectations. From there, Lynch embraced his more esoteric films like Blue Velvet, Wild At Heart, Lost Highway, and Mulholland Drive.
In 1990, Lynch co-created Twin Peaks for ABC, a mystery series that was briefly a pop culture sensation. Regardless, the show’s popularity waned in its second season and it was soon canceled. Lynch revisited his creation in the 1992 feature film, Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me, as well as Twin Peaks: The Return, a revival season produced by Showtime in 2017.
While most of Lynch’s films have been R-rated, he does have one G-rated movie on his resume: The Straight Story. That Disney produced film told the true story of Alvin Straight, a man who rode a lawnmower over 200 miles to visit his sick brother.
