As very recently mentioned, spring is in the air, cinephiles seem to be drunk with anticipation about the upcoming Cannes Film Festival, and perhaps with good reason. A new David Lynch film has been rumored and all but confirmed this week after Variety said two sources confirmed the rumor with them, and another journalist had teased it on Twitter (and then was reportedly scolded for doing so).
READ MORE: David Lynch’s Rumored New Secret Project With Laura Dern Tipped For Cannes Premiere
But plot twist, maybe that’s wrong? Entertainment Weekly spoke to Lynch this week, as he’s promoting the new 4k restoration and re-release of his 2006 experimental film, “Inland Empire.” When asked about the rumored film at Cannes? Lynch simply laughed and denied it out of hand.
“I have no new film coming out,” he laughed. “That’s a total rumor. So there you are. 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.’ But there is something new, but it’s not mine. I don’t know whose it is. 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 what is Lynch working on? “I’m working on painting and sculpture each day. And I’ve been working on ‘Lost Highway’ color-correcting and timing,” he said, the latter probably getting its own 4k restoration and re-release soon, too, hopefully.
Could Lynch be… lying? Stranger things have happened, and certainly, artists have to lie about news that’s not ready for release all the time, but we should take Lynch at face value.
The rumored project is said to feature Laura Dern and Naomi Watts and may or may not be a project called “Wisteria,” which also may have been a TV series. Could Lynch have considered debuting the pilot episode as he did with the “Twin Peaks” revival in Cannes in 2017? Could it be none of this exists, and it’s all been a Lynchian dream that is all in your mind? The 2022 Cannes Film Festival line-up is announced on Thursday morning, so tune in butt-ass early (like 4am ET) if you really want to know what’s what.
Update: Lynch doubled down on the denial on the Happy Sad Confused podcast. “I don’t have a film at Cannes; I do not have a film at Cannes. That’s a rumor, that’s a bonafide rumor.” Take a listen below.