“Ronnie Rocket”: the story of the film that David Lynch could never have made

American director and screenwriter David Lynch creates to break film laws and present the audience with something that entertains but also creates confusion.

Lynch’s films are synonymous with complex, layered performances that audiences find difficult to make sense of.

In this sense, Ronnie Rocket it was a promising project of Lynch’s that he failed to finish and remained unfinished.

“Ronnie Rocket”: the truncated project of David Lynch

This unprecedented project follows in the footsteps of eraserheads; The plot traces a detective’s search from a mysterious second dimension, his ability to stand on one leg is his only asset in the quest.

The only thing standing in his way are the “Donut Men”, a lurking group who have an electrical energy that he uses as a threat. At the same time, a rock star needs to plug into an electrical outlet to create powerful music with the occasional

Unfortunately, Lynch had no choice but to shelve the project after having difficulty finding financial backing. Instead, he devoted his time and creativity to expanding on another script upon which he would base his next 80s feature film, The elephant manwith John Hurt.

Ronnie Rocket was a thorn in Lynch’s mind that he couldn’t shake, he said should be his next project after almost all his films.

From eraserheads a twin peaks, the director has always sought a way to align him with the stylized brand he was building as an auteur who feared no bounds.

The archived script of Ronnie Rocket kept some of the director’s signature elements, such as industrial art direction and overall surreal execution versus classic pop culture.

However, times and funding never equaled. Additionally, Lynch found himself with a dizzying number of projects to dive into, delving into the 1990s and 2000s with features that would become an untouchable household name, such as Mulholland Drive.

The Postponed Project by David Lynch

Something that has been confirmed about this truncated project was that Dexter Fletcher has been linked as Ronnie Rocket’s lead, as Michael Anderson for the rock star role.

Lynch last spoke about the project in July 2013, suggesting that it was an infinite possibility. However, he has expressed concern about the increase “cheap windows and graffiti” and the disappearance of the natural landscape of industrial chimneys, central to his vision.

He shared his doubts that the script of Ronnie Rocket has a place in his contemporary filmography and the industry as a whole, wondering if such a story would ever “meet.”

“It was still very much alive in the 50s and 60s, but this industry is dying. […] And then something happened: graffiti, for me, is one of the worst things that has happened to the world,” explained the director. “It completely ruined the atmosphere of the places. Graffiti concludes with the possibility of going back in time and for the buildings to be as they were. Cheap windows and graffiti ruined the world for Ronnie Rocket“.

Under these conditions, it is very difficult to believe that the script finally ends in one take. The great director has some of his pending projects that he has tried to revive at different times.