Ted Sarandos said the proposed show was ‘filled with mystery and risks’. Netflix CEO Ted Sarandos has revealed he commissioned a limited series from David Lynch prior to the cult filmmaker’s death. Lynch, the celebrated director of avant-garde films such as Eraserhead, Mulholland Drive, The Elephant Man and the much-loved TV show Twin Peaks, died on Thursday at the age of 78.
![[David Lynch let Netflix CEO, and fan-boy, Ted Sarandos watch a three-hour cut of Mulholland Drive at his home during their first meeting.]](https://static.independent.co.uk/2025/01/18/00/MixCollage-17-Jan-2025-04-39-PM-1455.jpg)
“In my earliest days at Netflix, when we were only mailing DVDs around the United States - I had the most amazing experience meeting one of my all time favorite film makers in his home,” wrote Sarandos. “We tried to stock every movie on DVD, but one of my favorite movies, Eraserhead, was not commercially available. I reached out to David and asked for a meeting and at his dining room table we agreed to a bulk buy of Eraserhead and for Netflix to produce a DVD of all of his visionary short films.
“After we agreed to make this happen, David gave me a tour of the house and his art. Then he asked if I would like to take a look at an early cut of his next film. I thought he meant some scenes. He brought me to his screening room and ran a nearly three-hour cut of Mulholland Drive. I hadn’t planned on being there all day but was amazed to be in David Lynch’s home and in his screening room watching his yet to be released new film.
“About 2 hours in, I realized that he had left. I watched the rest of the film and let myself out.”. The Netflix CEO went on to say that he met Lynch again on a more recent occasion, when the filmmaker proposed making a new television series for the streaming service.
