The David Lynch Projects That Never Got Made, From ‘Ronnie Rocket’ to ‘Dune Messiah’ and ‘Wisteria’

David Lynch has significantly shaped the world of film and television by creating works such as “Blue Velvet,” “Mulholland Drive,” and “Twin Peaks.” Across these projects, he consistently combined the strange and terrifying with the ordinary and charming, exploring the ambiguous zones between idealized small-town America and the darkness and intrigue hidden beneath. His body of work may not have been as extensive as some other directors his age, but it was highly sought after, including potential adaptations of novels like Kafka’s “The Metamorphosis” and the bestseller “The White Hotel,” as well as a discussion with George Lucas about potentially directing “Return of the Jedi.

Several of these unused concepts encompassed themes that were later resurrected or reinterpreted in other ventures, similar to “Mulholland Drive,” which had multiple iterations. On the other hand, some ideas initially appeared quite bizarre, such as “Dream of the Bovine,” a story about three men who once were cows living in Van Nuys, and “The Happy Worker,” where people are digging a hole.

It’s not unexpected that studios and audiences weren’t prepared for some of these projects. However, following Lynch’s passing on Thursday, it’s intriguing to contemplate what these projects could have evolved into, albeit we may never know which ones might have been added to the list of avant-garde masterpieces from this unique director.

“I’ll Test My Log With Every Branch of Knowledge”

Long before the character of the Log Lady became a cherished figure in “Twin Peaks,” director David Lynch had already been pondering logs. During the filming of “Eraserhead” in 1977, it is said that he shared with his collaborator Catherine E. Coulson an image of her holding a massive log. He conceived of a unique talk show titled “I’ll Probe My Log With Every Branch of Knowledge,” but the eccentric concept didn’t gain traction – until this character was brilliantly resurrected for “Twin Peaks.

“Ronnie Rocket”

One of David Lynch’s most iconic unreleased projects stems from his early days working on “Eraserhead.” The project, titled “Ronnie Rocket,” involves a detective attempting to traverse dimensions while being chased by enigmatic characters known as “Donut Men.” Originally intended to star Michael J. Anderson, who later became famous for his role as The Man From Another Place in “Twin Peaks,” the production was halted when funding failed to materialize. Instead, Lynch shifted gears and went on to direct “The Elephant Man.” However, Lynch has maintained hope that one day “Ronnie Rocket” may still see the light of day, expressing this sentiment as recently as 2013 in an interview with Indiewire.

“Dune: Messiah”

Reflecting back on my cinematic journey, one film that has left an indelible mark, though not without controversy, is none other than “Dune,” my most criticized masterpiece to date. This film, despite initial commercial and critical disappointment, has found a new lease of life with subsequent generations of movie enthusiasts, even amid the impressive adaptations by Denis Villeneuve.

In an interview with David Breskin back in 1990, I confessed, “Looking back, it’s no one’s fault but my own.” The film was a canvas brimming with potential for elements I deeply cherished, and “Dune” offered the structure to bring those visions to life. There was an expansive space to create a captivating world, but I received clear signals from producers Raffaella and Dino De Laurentiis about their expectations, and I knew I wouldn’t have final editing rights.”

Though I expressed relief at not having to craft a sequel, I admitted, “I was deeply engrossed in ‘Dune II.’ I penned roughly half the script, perhaps even more, and I was truly getting enthused about it. The story was tighter, more compelling.

“Snootworld”

Initially envisioned by Tim Burton alongside co-writer Caroline Thompson (“Edward Scissorhands,” “Welcome to Marwen”), the animated project was first conceived in the early 2000s. Burton emphasized that it would primarily focus on an old-fashioned narrative, but its unique concept is notably eccentric: As he shared with Deadline in April 2024, “I’m astounded by how strange it is.” The story revolves around a peculiar race of creatures called the Snoots. At age eight, these beings undergo a ritual transition where they shrink in size and are sent away for a year to protect them. However, chaos ensues when the heroic Snoot goes missing into a carpet and his family struggles to locate him, leading him to explore an extraordinary, magnificent world. Despite Netflix executives previously rejecting Burton’s offbeat pitch, he remains hopeful that he can still bring this film to life, marking his first venture into feature-length animation. “I am drawn to this tale,” said Burton. “Although I haven’t tackled a traditional animation before, with today’s computer technology it is possible to achieve some extraordinary feats.

“Antelope Don’t Run No More”

Starting from the year 2006, when “Inland Empire” was released, David Lynch has been quite busy. He directed all 18 episodes of “Twin Peaks: The Return,” as well as many music videos and numerous short films. However, there’s a feature film called “Snootworld” that he wrote, which was mentioned in his 2018 memoir “Room to Dream.” This movie is said to blend elements from the mythology of “Inland Empire” and “Mulholland Drive.” A brief synopsis of the script describes it as a creative journey involving space aliens, talking animals, and a troubled musician named Pinky. The script has reportedly left everyone who’s read it impressed, considering it one of Lynch’s finest works. Despite being diagnosed with emphysema in 2024, Lynch assured his fans that he was otherwise healthy and had no plans to retire from directing.

“Unrecorded Night”/“Wisteria”

Back in March 2022, a casting call was spotted in a professional magazine for a David Lynch production looking for an actress with dark hair aged between her mid-twenties and late twenties. The role required some tasteful nudity. Interestingly, a limited series by Lynch under the working title of “Wisteria,” later known as “Unrecorded Night,” was announced in November 2020 through Production Weekly. David Lynch intended to write and direct 13 episodes with an estimated budget of $85 million. Peter Deming, who previously worked on “Lost Highway” and “Mulholland Drive,” was brought on as the cinematographer for this project, which Netflix codenamed “Wisteria” to keep it secret.

Based on a discussion in November 2021, Deming stated that the project was put on hold due to the COVID-19 pandemic, expressing hope that it would resume at some point. In May 2024, Sabrina Sutherland, one of Lynch’s longtime producers, participated in an online Q&A on Tulpa Forum and mentioned that Lynch has been focusing on other projects. She added that while there is a possibility the project could be resumed, Lynch has been immersed in his artistic and musical pursuits, so they haven’t revisited it yet.

Among the many other projects Lynch was involved with were:

“One Saliva Bubble,” written with Mark Frost, about a chain reaction caused by a saliva bubble shooting into a nuclear reactor. Both Steve Martin and Martin Short were rumored to star, but Dino De Laurentiis’ company went bust before it could be made.

“Twin Peaks” spin-off — Sherilyn Fenn was attached to reprise her role as Audrey in a spin-off of “Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me.” Though the project didn’t pan out, her character and the story later provided inspiration for “Mulholland Drive.”

“Venus Descending” or “Goddess,” a Marilyn Monroe biopic co-written with Mark Frost, which Warner Bros. ending up killing when the studio found out the story involved a Robert Kennedy-like character killing the Marilyn Monroe character.

“Love in Vain,” a biopic of blues musician Robert Johnson that Lynch became interested in after “The Elephant Man” and continued to mention until 2018.

Franz Kafka’s “The Metamorphosis,” which sounds like the perfect material for Lynch. Although he completed a screenplay for the classic novel about a man who transforms into a giant cockroach, he decided it was better left as a book, and it was too costly to produce in the pre-CGI days.

Not surprisingly, Lynch didn’t turn out to be the right filmmaker to adapt Thomas Harris’ “Red Dragon,” though he did start work on it for “Dune” producer Dino de Laurentiis. Instead, Michael Mann ended up directing “Manhunter.”

In the late ’80s, Lynch worked on adapting the 1938 mystery novel “You Play the Black and the Red Comes Up,” a Hollywood-set story featuring characters based on famous L.A. figures such as Aimee Semple McPherson. But he ended up moving on to other projects.

2025-01-17 03:46