Ted Sarandos joined many others in the entertainment industry to pay tribute to David Lynch, who died Thursday at age 78. Netflix co-CEO Sarandos shared a tribute on Instagram to honor one of his “favorite filmmakers of all time” and noted that Lynch had been in contact with the streamer about directing a limited series. Production could not be carried out due to complications caused by the COVID pandemic and, later, “health uncertainties”. In 2024, Lynch publicly revealed that he had been diagnosed with emphysema after smoking his entire life and that any future achievements would have to be done remotely.
“He came to Netflix to pitch a limited series that we jumped on,” Sarandos wrote. “It was a David Lynch production, full of mystery and risks, but we wanted to continue this creative adventure with this genius. First COVID, then certain health uncertainties meant that this project never saw the light of day , but we made it clear that as soon as it could, we were all in.
Notably, there had been rumors of a Netflix project from Lynch in the years before his death. In November 2020, an issue of Production Weekly (which publishes lists that aren’t always entirely accurate about upcoming shoots) detailed a limited series from Lynch called “Wisteria.” This title was later revealed to be a code name given to the project by Netflix, and the project was also known as “Unrecorded Night”. According to the listing, Lynch had planned to write and direct 13 episodes of the series, with his “Lost Highway” and “Mulholland Drive” cinematographer Peter Deming.
In November 2021, Deming revealed in an interview that the project had been shelved due to the COVID pandemic, but noted that he “assumed it would come back to life at some point.” In May 2024, Lynch’s longtime producer Sabrina Sutherland shared during a Q&A that “there’s always a chance” that Lynch could return to the limited series, but that he ” appreciated his artistic and musical efforts. Whether the project mentioned by Sarandos is indeed “Unrecorded Night” remains to be confirmed. Representatives for the streamer were not immediately available for comment.
In his tribute, Sarandos also recalled his first meeting with Lynch, back when Netflix was primarily a DVD-by-mail company. The executive had contacted Lynch to stockpile copies of his first film “Eraserhead” because it was out of print.
“We agreed to a bulk purchase of Eraserhead and for Netflix to produce a DVD of all of his visionary short films. After agreeing to do this, David showed me around the house and its art. Then he asked me if I would like to take a look at a first clip from his next film. I thought he was talking about certain scenes,” Sarandos wrote. “He took me into his screening room and played a nearly three-hour cut of ‘Mulholland Drive.’ I hadn’t planned to be there all day, but I was amazed to be at David Lynch’s house and in his screening room watching his new film that hasn’t been released yet. About two hours later I realized he was gone. I watched the rest of the movie and let myself out.
