David Lynch Is Homebound In LA And May Retire Due To His Health

LOS ANGELES, CA — Director David Lynch is homebound due to his fear of contracting COVID-19 on top of debilitating emphysema, likely ending his legendary film career.

The director of "Blue Velvet" and "Twin Peaks" opened up to the British magazine Sight & Sound about his likely retirement due to health concerns. The avant-garde director admitted he doesn't feel safe leaving his Los Angeles home.

"I've gotten emphysema from smoking for so long, and so I'm homebound whether I like it or not," the 78-year-old Lynch told the publication. "It would be very bad for me to get sick, even with a cold."

The director added he "can only walk a short distance before" running out of oxygen.

The disease likely means he will have to retire, he admitted.

Emphysema, also known as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), is mainly caused by smoking, air pollution and exposure to dust and chemicals. The World Health Organization has predicted it will become the third-leading cause of death worldwide by 2030.

A Montana native, author and musician known for his deep dives into the surreal, Lynch rose to fame with the television show "Twin Peaks." It has become something of a bookend to his career: Lynch's last major project was Showtime's "Twin Peaks: The Return" in 2017.

The revival of the ABC series was well-received by critics and fans alike. The director's last movie was 2006's "Inland Empire."

According to the British outlet The Independent, Lynch has been trying to work despite being homebound. He recently pitched to Netflix a longtime passion project — an animated film called Snootworld. He began working on it with writer Caroline Thompson decades ago, but Netflix passed on the project, he said.

“Just recently, I thought someone might be interested in getting behind this, so I presented it to Netflix in the last few months, but they rejected it,” he said, according to The Independent. “Old-fashioned fairy tales are considered groaners: apparently, people don’t want to see them. It’s a different world now, and it’s easier to say no than to say yes.”

While seeming to announce his retirement, Lynch left the door open to working from home.

Lynch told the magazine he's unlikely to direct a film again unless he could shoot a film remotely.

"I would do it remotely if it comes to it," he said. "I wouldn't like that so much."

However, he added, “We don’t know what the future will bring.”

City News Service contributed to this report.