Is it curtains for Showtime’s new season of Twin Peaks?

After the excitement felt by cult TV fans everywhere when US TV network Showtime announced they would be bringing David Lynch and Mark Frost’s Twin Peaks back to screens in 2016, it felt like everything was finally falling into place.

Today however, the bad news that’s been rumored for a few weeks now was confirmed by Lynch via Twitter. The director posted that after over a year of negotiations he’s walking away because Showtime can’t guarantee a budget to producer the script as “it needed to be done.”

“This weekend I started to call actors to let them know I would not be directing. Twin Peaks may still be very much alive at Showtime,” he added. “I love the world of Twin Peaks and wish things could have worked out differently”.

The show isn’t cancelled – Lynch explicitly said “Showtime did not pull the plug” – but without Lynch’s involvement it’s not hard to fear the worst. Last time he stepped away from the show we were treated to some of the worst episodes of the show’s run.

Showtime later released a statement say it “continues to hold out hope” that Lynch will return.

“We were saddened to read David Lynch’s statement today since we believed we were working towards solutions with David and his reps on the few remaining deal points,” the statement read. “Showtime also loves the world of Twin Peaks and we continue to hold out hope that we can bring it back in all its glory with both of its extraordinary creators, David Lynch and Mark Frost, at its helm.”