Ted Sarandos joined many others in the entertainment industry to pay tribute to David Lynch, who died Thursday at the age of 78. Netflix co-CEO Sarandos shared a tribute on Instagram to honor one of his "all-time favorite filmmakers," noting that Lynch had been approached by the streamer to direct the limited series. The production was unable to materialize due to complications from the coronavirus pandemic and subsequent "health uncertainty." In 2024, Lynch publicly revealed that he had been diagnosed with emphysema after a lifetime of smoking, and any future directors would have to do it remotely.

"He came to Netflix to pitch a limited series and we were intrigued," Sarandos wrote. "This is a David Lynch production, full of mystery and risk, but we wanted to go with this genius. Continuing this creative journey, first the pandemic and then some health uncertainty meant the project was never completed, but we made it clear that we were fully committed as long as he was able."

It's worth noting that a few years before his death, there were rumors that Lynch would be working on a project at Netflix. In November 2020, an issue of Production Weekly (which publishes lists that aren't always entirely accurate about upcoming film shoots) detailed a limited series from Lynch called "Wisteria." It was later revealed that the title was Netflix's codename for the project, also known as "Unrecorded Night." According to the listing, Lynch plans to write and direct 13 episodes of the series with his "Lost Highway" and "Mulholland Drive" cinematographer Peter Deming.

In November 2021, Deming revealed in an interview that the project had been put on hold due to the coronavirus pandemic, but noted that he "assumed it would be revived at some point." In May 2024, Lynch's longtime showrunner Sabrina Sutherland said in a Q&A that there was "always a chance" that Lynch would return to the limited series, but that he had been "enjoying it" his artistic work and musical career.” Whether the items Sarandos recalled were indeed "undocumented nights" remains unconfirmed. Representatives for the streamer could not immediately be reached for comment.

In the tribute, Sarandos also recalled his first meeting with Lynch, back when Netflix was primarily a company that mailed DVDs. The executive had contacted Lynch to purchase a copy of his first film, Eraserhead, because it was out of print.

"We agreed to buy Eraserhead in bulk and have Netflix create a DVD containing all of his visionary short films. After we agreed to make that happen, David took me on a tour of the house and his artwork. Then he Asked me if I’d like to see an early cut of his next movie and I thought he was referring to some scenes,” Sarandos wrote. "He took me to his screening room and played a nearly three-hour cut of 'Mulholland Drive.' I hadn't planned on spending the whole day there, but was surprised to be in the home of David Lynch and About two hours into his screening of his new, yet-to-be-released movie, I realized he had left to watch the rest of the movie and let myself relax.”