In this April 1, 2015 file photo, David Lynch speaks at the David Lynch Foundation Music Celebration at the Theatre at Ace Hotel in Los Angeles. (Photo by Chris Pizzello/Invision/AP, File)
NEW YORK (AP) --
Showtime is expressing hope of salvaging an updated version of "Twin Peaks" after its co-creator, David Lynch, announced he is leaving the project.
The network said it was "saddened" by Lynch's statement but still hopes to resurrect "Twin Peaks" with both Lynch and his co-creator, Mark Frost, on board.
This reboot of the eerie 1990-91 ABC thriller was announced by Showtime last fall. Lynch and Frost were set to be back to write the new series, with Lynch slated to direct all nine episodes. But Sunday on Twitter, Lynch declared that after 16 months of negotiations Showtime still had not approved a budget that he considered sufficient.
Showtime responded that it believed it had been making progress with him on "the few remaining deal points."
Television producer Mark Burnett, left, looks on as President Donald Trump arrives for the National Prayer Breakfast, Feb. 2, 2017, in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci, File)
Mark Burnett, the power producer who helped reintroduce Donald Trump to a national television audience with "The Apprentice," is being tapped by the president-elect as special envoy to the United Kingdom in his upcoming administration.
"With a distinguished career in television production and business, Mark brings a unique blend of diplomatic acumen and international recognition to this important role," Trump announced Saturday.
Burnett, who was born in London, helped produce hits like "Survivor" and "The Voice," but is perhaps best known for teaming up with Trump for "The Apprentice," which first aired on NBC in 2004.
Trump had been well-known in real estate and pop culture circles for decades. But the show helped again make him a household name — though Trump severed ties with NBC in 2015, the same year he launched his first White House run.
The selection of Burnett continues Trump's trend of filling out his incoming administration with people who have high-profile backgrounds in television or politics, or both — including his choice to be defense secretary, Pete Hegseth, a former co-host of "Fox & Friends Weekend," and ex-television doctor and unsuccessful Senate candidate in Pennsylvania, Mehmet Oz.
Trump's first campaign in 2016 was rocked by allegations about his conduct on "The Apprentice" and other appearances during his association with NBC, notably in footage in which he said he could sexually assault women and get away with it because he was a "star."
Almost a decade after he left his reality TV role, Trump's television career remains central to his biography and political rise. The show presented Trump Tower to tens of millions of people as a symbol of power and success before Trump launched his first... Read More
