Twin Peaks revival finishes filming, set to get 'unconventional' release

'Unconventional in the handling of it and how we put it out in the world and how we market it'

The Twin Peaks revival has been shrouded in an appropriate level of mystery and confusion; for a David Lynch production, that is.

After multiple delays and a tense moment in which Lynch himself dropped out of the project over budgetary disputes, things are finally rolling towards a conclusion for the return of the cult '90s television series.

Showtime CEO David Nevins closed the 2016 Television Critics Association's summer press tour by easing up on just the smallest portion of the show's secrecy (via The Hollywood Reporter); revealing, first off, that Lynch and co-creator Mark Frost had completed shooting with a behind-the-scenes reel as proof.

Nevin later told reporters that the release plan would be, "unconventional"; not exactly an uncommon word in Lynch's universe. "Unconventional in the handling of it and how we put it out in the world and how we market it," Nevins continued, highlighting the episodes would not be released all at once. "I think it is quite possible we're not going to do a traditional release pattern. I've had a couple conversations with David."

"But I want to embrace the unexpectedness of it, so I could definitely see longer episodes or in terms of this question of how do we release it linearly and how do we release it for people who want to stream it — maybe there's something different between the two."

That's pretty much it, however. The show still doesn't have an official air date, Nevins even admitting he wasn't sure exactly how many episodes there would be, despite the tease of 18 during Comic-Con. Describing it as a "fluid process", with the season being filmed as a movie, there's actually something almost hopeful about Showtime's lack of control here; it looks as if they've just allowed Lynch to go off and do his own thing, ensured that final product will be exactly what fans are after.

Indeed, if Showtime wants to play around with "unconventional" releases, Twin Peaks seems the perfect option; it's a show with such an ingrained - utterly faithful - audience already in the wings, one that wouldn't exactly be put off by strange approaches to television. Plus, there's the rather incredible cast list, which will certainly ensure the curiosity of general audiences.

Twins Peaks is set to hit screens in the first half of 2017.