David Lynch Says He Doesn’t Have A Surprise New Movie Premiering At Cannes, But Some Aren’t Convinced
David Lynch is insisting he doesn’t have a secret new movie debuting at the Cannes Film Festival next month, but for some reason, no one will believe him. Maybe it’s because we’ve been waiting 16 years for another Lynch feature film, and movie buffs aren’t ready to give up on the idea so easily. Or, maybe it’s that, in a world of NDAs and surprise releases, it’s hard to take anyone at their word.
The rumor mill first started spinning earlier this week, when Variety reported that two “well-informed” sources said a Lynch film was coming, one starring some “Lynch regulars,” including Laura Dern in either a cameo or supporting role. Fans immediately rejoiced, ecstatic over the thought that the Lynchian drought would soon be over. Unfortunately, the celebration didn’t last, and just a day after the initial reports, Lynch set the record straight. While promoting the re-release of his 2006 film, Inland Empire, to Entertainment Weekly he was asked about the rumors, which he vehemently denied.
“I have no new film coming out,” the director said, calling the idea “a total rumor.” Lynch doubled down on the statement, saying, “It is not happening. I don't have a project. I have nothing at Cannes. It's unfortunate. It got built up that people thought, ‘Oh, that'd be nice.’” Lynch, however, did hint at “something new” coming to Cannes, but insisted it’s not his film. “I don't know whose it is,” he said. “They say there's something new at Cannes, and they don't say whose it is, and some people thought it was my film, but it's not. So we'll wait and see, and see whose it is.”
The denial tour continued when Lynch talked to the A.V. Club. “I have no film at Cannes, no,” he said. “I’m not trying to trick you, I have nothing at Cannes.” The director did, however, hit on that other secret film again. “There’ll be something new from somebody else. It wasn’t me, though. It isn’t me.”
Despite Lynch repeating himself many times, people still aren’t believing him, and maybe it’s because he repeated himself many times. Methinks Lynch doth protest too much? There’s also the fact that he keeps mentioning another secret project, one he swears he’s not involved with and knows nothing about. He may think bringing it up is taking the heat off his back, but in reality, it kind of just makes him seem more suspicious. Maybe, this is all part of the process, though, and Lynch is making us question everything we know, our own reality, before he hits us with that film next month...Or maybe, he really does’t have a movie coming and we should all just move on. Perhaps we’ll have a better pictures when Cannes actually starts on May 17th. Here’s hoping for at least a Laura Dern red carpet appearance.
