A few weeks ago, Twin Peaks creator David Lynch said that the planned third season of the classic series had run into some “complications”, which possibly stemmed from a dispute with Showtime over the DVD and streaming rights.

Whatever the reason may be, Lynch has now tweeted and posted on Facebook that he has decided to walk away from the show’s revival because he felt “not enough money was offered to do the script the way I felt it needed to be done.”

While it’s possible that Showtime could continue without him, the network released the following statement [via Hitfix]:

"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. 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."

Showtime could have just said something like, “We are saddened to see Lynch and Frost go, but we will continue on without them while still bringing fans the show they love.” Of course, that statement would be nonsense because Twin Peaks without Lynch isn’t Twin Peaks. The property is synonymous with its creator, and doing it with anyone else would only engender outrage and disappointment from the fans. And Lynch could be using those fans to help his cause and get the show made the way he wants. As /Film’s Russ Fischer and our own Evan Dickson pointed out, social media has changed the playing field when it comes to creators dealing with networks and studios:

So is this a canny move by Lynch to gain the upper hand at the negotiating table, or does he legitimately think that moving forward is a mistake? For the sake of the fans and groundbreaking television, I hope it’s the former.