Caffeinated Clint
Series co-creator Mark Frost is talking up the “Twin Peaks” revival with, well, anyone with a press badge today.
It’s obviously early days, so Frost isn’t allowed to say much – or can’t, because he doesn’t have too many answers yet – but he does confirm the return of some familiar faces, suggests a big-time central mystery at the center of the new series, and advises those who haven’t seen the show to catch up now… before the new series hits in 2016.
Here’s an interview Frost gave to Deadline :
DEADLINE: David Lynch had said that we had seen the last of Twin Peaks. When did that change, and how did the new series come together?lynchfrost
FROST: It was something I guess we had to leave alone for a while. David and I stayed good friends over the years, we’d see each other every now and then. When the gold box DVD set came out in 2007, that’s when I think we both started thinking separately about it. And then about three years ago — we meet for lunch once in awhile, often at Musso and Frank just because we both like old Hollywood stuff — we just found ourselves talking over lunch and some ideas popped up about the show. So many people had enjoyed the gold box set. We found ourselves drifting back to that town, realizing that there were more things we wanted to know about it. And everything flew from that point forward. That was I think three years ago in August.
DEADLINE: The series is still called Twin Peaks. Will it be set in Twin Peaks?
FROST: It’s safe to say that things will happen in Twin Peaks that you’ll see. Not necessarily all will be there but yeah, we are going to call it Twin Peaks, so I think that speaks for itself.
DEADLINE: Which characters from the original series will make a return?
FROST: I think the fans would like to see and we would like to see as many of the old familiar faces as possible and a lot of new faces as well. We are going to keep that in mind as we start to work and hopefully everybody’s story will get some attention.
DEADLINE: What about Kyle MacLachlan’s Agent Cooper who was at the heart of the ABC series?
FROST: We hope to have more to say about that soon. I think you’ll have the answer to that sooner rather than later.
DEADLINE: The original series ended with a cliffhanger. Will we find out what happened to Agent Cooper in the woods?
FROST: One of the things we always did when talking about the series is, we didn’t tell people what to think about it or say that there was one definite way to interpret anything. We always felt it was best to let the story speak for itself and also let the intelligence of the viewer contribute to what they thought was going on. So I never like to answer questions too specifically, David is sort of the same way. Having said that, I think there will be a lot of things that people have wanted to know over the years that if they pay close attention, they are going to be satisfied.
DEADLINE: Will the limited series revisit the Laura Palmer murder or that case is closed?
FROST: I think you can safely say that the mystery in Twin Peaks as we started to explore more is very large, there are many aspects to it and the hope is that people will find things that they are interested in in all sorts of things related to the larger mystery. And that will include all the storylines we’ve dealt with up until now.
DEADLINE: Will there be a crime, a new case at the center of the series?
FROST: There will be a very strong central storyline.
DEADLINE: Is the limited series close to what you and David envisioned as a third season of the ABC series or this is a brand new storyline?
FROST: We realized we were talking about the third season so long ago, when we actually sat down to start thinking about (the limited series), there were some things we thought we thought back then but if you put me in court I’m not sure I’ll be able to testify to it. Everything we are talking about feels very fresh and very right given where we’ve been, I’ll put it that way.
DEADLINE: Angelo Badalamenti’s music was such a key part of the original series. Will he be back and will he write new music for the limited series?
FROST: I can’t confirm that yet, I’d have to talk to David and see if he feels confident about that.
DEADLINE: How did the project end up at Showtime?
FROST: We had a really good feeling about Showtime from the very beginning. (EVP Original Programming) Gary Levine, who is the second in command there, was actually the ABC executive in charge of the show when we did it 25 years ago. (President) David Nevins was a big fan of the show, we had a great meeting with them, and David Lynch loved the artwork that David Nevins had in his office, that seemed to get him excited. We feel it’s the perfect home for the show now, and we’re very happy to be there.
DEADLINE: Are you surprised by how lasting the show’s popularity has been?
FROST: For that, we just have to be express our gratitude to the fans who have been so incredibly passionate and tenacious about the show over the years. When you are sitting down to do work, you don’t really ever think about what kind of impact it might have, at least we didn’t. You just try to do the best of what’s in front of you. The fact that this is still alive and kicking 25 years later is a great joy for everybody involved in it, and I’m just glad we are able to bring something back to the people who really have been the most instrumental in keeping it alive all this time.
DEADLINE: Is the limited series definitely the end of the Twin Peaks franchise or you would be open for more?
FROST: That’s sort of what we thought the last time, and look what happened. I wouldn’t think it will take us 25 years to decide the next time around — I hope it wouldn’t because it would be a lot harder to do the work then — but I think anything’s possible to be honest, given that this is happening.
Frost also spoke to HitFix :
I’ve been reading all the interviews you’ve done today, and you’ve been reluctant to say much of anything about the actual content of the miniseries. What specifics, if anything, are you comfortable talking about?
Mark Frost: Um, almost nothing. It’s always been our feeling about this show that the less said upfront, the better, and let the show speak for itself. Aside from that, we can just say it’s our fondest hope that people who have been waiting so patiently for so many years for this will not be disappointed, and will in fact be thrilled — that’s our hope — and that we know people have high expectations, and we can promise you, your expectations are not as high as ours.
How did it come about that David is going to direct all nine hours? He hasn’t directed a lot in the last 15 or 20 years.
Mark Frost: We were talking about it at this lunch in August three years ago at Musso & Frank, it suddenly sparked to life, just thinking about it. He just got this determined look in his eye and said, “I think I’ve got to direct all of these.” And I said, “Good on ya, mate. Let’s do it. Let’s write ’em all, you direct ’em all, and that’s probably how it should be.”
Years ago, right before “Buddy Faro” debuted, I asked you about the bumps in the second season of “Twin Peaks,” and you said that you and David had never expected the show to go for more than those original seven episodes, and that you ran into a lot of trouble continuing the story past that. It sounds like you have a much more clear and specific vision for how this new season is going to go.
Mark Frost: Well, we have had 25 years to think about it. If you can’t figure it out in that amount of time, I guess it’s time to hang it up.
Looking back on what happened in year 2, are there certain lessons you’ve been able to learn in the ensuing 25 years that you can apply to this?
Mark Frost: I think what we’ve learned is you’ve gotta have a very strong central path through the woods. It’s fine to have tributaries and streams, and little byways, but ultimately, that path through the woods has to be very dark, clear and dangerous. That’s the path we’re going to keep to. There’ll be, I hope, a healthy percentage of delightful sidelines or paths off to the side, but there aren’t any shortcuts. You’ve gotta follow that main path.
I’m sure you’ve been paying attention to the many TV shows that have in some ways taken the torch you guys lit back in 1990 and transformed what it’s possible to do in TV drama. How does it feel to be returning to this era that you helped set in motion?
Mark Frost: You know, it feels really cool. I’ve enjoyed so many of the shows that have come along afterward. We’re always very flattered when people cite us as a benchmark for what they were able to do. I think so many extraordinary things have been done. We’re excited to get another at-bat in the ballgame, and hopefully we’ll hit it out of the park.
I remain floored that you were able to do all of the things that you did on the ABC television network in 1990 and 91. Is there any way that doing this today, in this environment, and doing it on Showtime, takes the subversive fun out of it? Or can you go even stranger as a result of where and when you are?
Mark Frost: Our feeling is that we couldn’t just hit repeat on this thing. We had to go somewhere new and different and even more startling. We’re not trying to remake the show. We’re trying to top the show that came before. So that’s very much on our minds. We’re really hopeful that the fans are going to find us, not just in return, but also in advance.
I know Showtime is going to rerun both of the original seasons in the build-up to when these episodes are released in 2016, and they’re available on Netflix and elsewhere now. Are you making any sort of effort to make the miniseries accessible to newcomers, or is it designed entirely as something where you have to have been along for the entire journey to follow where you’re going now?
Mark Frost: I would think that it would be very helpful for people who want to come in at this point to catch up a little bit. That was undoubtedly Showtime’s thinking as well when they talked about running the old episodes again. Certainly, at this point, there’s no shortage of ways for people to tap into them. As we get closer to that time, I’m hopeful we’ll bring a whole bunch of new people to the party.
I know you’re reluctant to say anything specific, but you did 29 episodes that covered a whole lot of ground and featured a lot of characters. Are there certain areas you might suggest newcomers focus on as they catch up, or do they have to know everything from the fish in the percolator to Windom Earle?
Mark Frost: I’m gonna leave that up to them. I don’t think it’s essential that you’ve seen every hour. But if you like it, by all means watch it, and then be ready for where we go from there.
Going back to the end of the original show, I’ve had a long-running argument with a fellow “Twin Peaks” fan about whether you intended that final scene with Cooper’s doppelganger as a cliffhanger for a third season that didn’t come, or as a definitive “Evil triumphs. The End.” conclusion. What were you intending with that?
Mark Frost: At the time, we were doing whatever we could to get ABC to say yes to a third season. That was very much part of our thinking. It turned out to be a pretty good stopping place, if it had never gone anywhere else, it had at least had an exclamation point at the end of it. Now we have a chance to write the next sentence.
Finally, can you say if there will be any singing and/or dancing in the new episodes?
TVLine also had a few minutes with Frost, who said :
TVLINE | For about two years now, rumors have been circulating about a Twin Peaks revival being in the works. How long have you and David been formulating this?
David and I stayed in touch and remained closed friends throughout all these years. It was about three years ago this summer we were having lunch at [famed Hollywood eatery] Musso & Frank, where we often used to go. And we were just kicking stuff around and we started getting some ideas in our heads about Twin Peaks. Suddenly, it felt like a place we wanted to visit again. And that was the kickoff.
TVLINE | Was Showtime the first place you went?
We didn’t go to anybody else. Showtime was the first and only [network] we spoke to about this. There was a nice sense of continuity there, because Gary Levine, who’s the right-hand man to [Showtime president] David Nevins, was our [creative] representative on the show when we were on ABC. We’ve known Gary a long time. We trust Gary. We like Gary. We had a really great meeting with them. And David [Lynch] really loved the artwork on David [Nevins]‘ office walls. And they loved the show. And that’s how it all came to be.
TVLINE | Just to confirm, this is not a remake, correct? It’s a continuation, like TNT’s Dallas?
It is not a remake. The story continues. The seeds of where we go were planted where we’ve been.
TVLINE | In the series finale, Laura Palmer tells Agent Cooper in the Red Room, “I’ll see you again in 25 years.” That can’t be a coincidence, can it?
When you see it, you’ll know.
TVLINE | Are you looking at this as Season 3 of Twin Peaks?
Not really, but just because my brain doesn’t work that way. I’ve always said that Twin Peaks to me was like a novel we filmed every page of. So this is more like we found another volume of the saga, and now we want to bring that to life too.
TVLINE | Will the nine episodes revolve around a new mystery?
If I told you that I would have to give the Kill command to the Predator drones that are circling your house now. And that wouldn’t be cool. [Laughs]
TVLINE | Will the world of Fire Walk With Me be considered a part of the “Canon”?
I think it should be. It’s definitely part of the mythology of the show, and it reflects the work that was done before and it will have some bearing on the work as we go forward.
TVLINE | Is it your goal to bring back as many of the original cast as possible?
Those who want to see old faces, and those would like to see new faces, none of them will be disappointed. It’s far too early to talk specifics about people. We’re not at that stage in the process.
TVLINE | In the past 25 years, several cast members have passed away, most notably former set dresser turned scariest TV character ever, Frank Silva (AKA Killer Bob). How will you handle that loss?
I can’t really say. That’s a tough one to go into without giving away too much.
TVLINE | In his book Reflections: An Oral History of Twin Peaks, journalist Brad Dukes explored some of the issues that may have compromised the storytelling of Season 2 and the longevity of the show. There was a lot of pressure from ABC to wrap up the murder, and both you and David were being pulled away by other projects. With both of you fully on board and committed to these nine episodes, would you say that show might lean back towards the heights of Season 1?
That would certainly be our goal and intention… We decided at that first lunch that if we were going to do this it had to be the two of us. It started with us and we felt it was only right if it continued with the two of us. So we pledged right then and there that we were going to write it ourselves, and David said he wanted to direct all of them. And we’ll produce them together. That’s the basis on which we decided to go forward.
TVLINE Will the new series be a Valentine to hardcore fans, or are you setting out to bring in a new generation of acolytes?
It’s fair to say that there aren’t many shows that have a fan base as passionate and dedicated and committed as our show does. And we’re very grateful to those people for keeping the flames alive all these years, and helping whole new generations of people discover it. So, in a way, this will be of special significance to those folks. And at the same time we hope a whole bunch of people want to come to the party as well.
TVLINE | Will Angelo Badalamenti do the score?
Too early to say.
TVLINE | The TV climate is very different than when Twin Peaks debuted 25 years ago. There was nothing else like it at the time. Since then, the show has inspired dozens – if not hundreds — of imitators. Any concern that the novelty has worn off?
Well, the novelty hasn’t worn off for us. I think we’ll be able to effectively translate that into today’s cultural language without too much trouble.
TVLINE | If it’s a success, could there be more?
We’ve learned never to say never. Anything is a possibility.
TVLINE | What does it mean personally to you to revisit this material 25 years later?
I think for me, and for everybody who took part in this originally, it was — it’s a terrible pun — a peak experience. And the chance to revisit it later in life, and see what we can do now that we didn’t know then, is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.
TVLINE | The second season was rather polarizing, and some fans felt let down by how the story ended. Are you looking at this as an opportunity to bring the story to a more satisfying conclusion?
It’s our hope that these episodes will give the fans everything they felt they hadn’t gotten the last time we left off.
TVLINE | Lastly, I’d be remiss if I didn’t ask, how’s Annie?
[Laughs] Funnily enough, I just showed the second Austin Powers movie to my son last night, who asked me about [Heather Graham]. And I said, “Oh, that’s Annie.” And he said, “Who’s Annie?” And I said, “No, no. The question is How’s Annie?” And judging by how Annie looked in that movie I’d say Annie’s fine.
And last, but not least, The L.A Times :
People have been hoping for a revival for a long time now. How’d you finally decide to do it?
Every once in a while we’d get together and think about it. It was really about three years ago when we were at lunch at Musso & Frank. We started talking and it kinda lit a spark between us. So we sat with it and we kindled it and we fanned the flames until we knew it was taking us somewhere where we really wanted to go. And we’ve kind of been working on it ever since.
What was that initial conversation about?
It was kind of a global conversation about the world of “Twin Peaks” and the effect that it still seemed to hold for people, the attraction they felt to this place and these people and we suddenly saw a way to move forward and just ran with it.
And why do you think it still has so many fans, especially at a time when there are a lot of weird, dark, unusual shows on television?
I know. It’s to me part of the mystery of the show. Why has this show been so enduringly attractive to people? I honestly don’t know the answer. You really have to talk to all the people who feel as strongly as they do and ask them because their answers will be just as valid as mine. One of the things we did notice as we’ve been thinking about it is people seem to remember it even better than we do. It’s kind of an important thing for a lot of people in their lives. And we feel a sense of responsibility about that and we want to do everything we can to honor it.
Is there any trepidation or anxiety about the revival? It’s safe to say expectations will be high.
Yeah, I think it’s safe to say that people would be hoping for a lot and we feel that there is a pressure to not just do what we did before but improve on it or top it. That’s going to be our intention every step of the way.
“Twin Peaks” aired on network TV, but there are now many outlets for television that’s more experimental and groundbreaking. Do you think the show might have lasted longer had it been introduced in such an environment?
All I can do is speculate. There are so many great, powerful shows now, I guess we’ll see how this one does when it comes back as a benchmark. We’re very flattered whenever people talk about this as a show that helped them think that maybe there was a way for them to do what they did. We were very happy to kick down that door for people if that is in fact what we did. Hopefully we’ll get to kick down the door ourselves.
There hasn’t been any information yet about casting but I’m wondering how you go about reviving without a cast set. Do you see who’s available and build the story from there? Or just proceed as if everyone from the original is willing to participate?
I don’t know if I can speak to that without giving stuff away. The main way to think about is that we’re going to write the show exactly as we see fit and hopefully we’ll find the circumstances to make it happen.
Have you written it yet?
We’re in the process right now.
What can you tell us about the narrative?
What I can tell you is there will be a very strong central storyline. And there will be lots of other places that we’ll go as well. That’s really all I can say.
As fans know, the series ended with one of the most devastating cliffhangers in TV history. Do you yourself know how that story ended, and will the new series provide any resolution in that regard?
We have very clear idea as to what happened and it’s not going to be something that will seem ambiguous when you see it.
Creatively, this is going to be different from the network series in that you and David Lynch will write all nine episodes, and he’ll direct the whole run. How do you think that will affect the series?
We just had a feeling that this was something we created together and the only way we really we could see going back to it was if we did it ourselves. We’re really excited that that’s how it turned out because I think that’s the right way to to do it. It’s going to rise or fall on our efforts, and our efforts alone and that’s how it should be judged.
How did you decide to take it to Showtime?
It was earlier this year; we had a great meeting with them. It turned out perhaps not by chance that Gary Levine, who developed the show at ABC 25 years ago, is now the executive vice president of original programming at Showtime, and that just felt right. We felt very comfortable with Gary, who is a good friend. But I’ve known David Nevins for quite a while. The two Davids really hit it off, so off we went.
Did you have to go to any extra effort to keep this under wraps?
I would guess that not even the NSA knew about this.
