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David Lynch was in the midst of creating a new limited series for Netflix when he passed away this week, according to Ted Sarandos.
The streamer’s co-CEO posted a moving tribute to the visionary filmmaker on Instagram Friday, which included the revelation. He says that years after their first meeting, during which Lynch screened an early cut of Mulholland Drive for Sarandos, he “came into Netflix to pitch a limited series, which we jumped at.”
“It was a David Lynch production, so filled with mystery and risks but we wanted to go on this creative ride with this genius. First Covid, then some health uncertainties lead to this project never being produced but we made it clear that as soon as he was able, we were all in,” Sarandos added.
He called Lynch’s body of work “remarkable, visionary, bold and artful” and lamented that he will “always wonder about what he had in mind for us with what would have been his last project.”
Deadline has reached out to Netflix for more details on this limited series. This post will be updated when/if we hear back.
In his post, Sarandos called Lynch “one of my all time favorite film makers,” reminiscing on how he struck a deal with Lynch to bulk buy Eraserhead for Netflix back when the company still did DVD rentals. That was the first time they met, Sarandos explained. Lynch eventually directed a short film for Netflix called What Did Jack Do?
“David Lynch was an unapologetic genius. He didn’t want you to understand his work. He knew that was impossible and it was part of the ride together,” Sarandos wrote.
Sarandos’ tribute is just one of dozens that poured in from across Hollywood when the news of Lynch’s death broke on Thursday. Patricia Arquette, Isabella Rossellini, Mädchen Amick, Ron Howard, Sting, Judd Apatow and more were among those to honor the 4x Academy Award nominee.