David Lynch’s Unfinished Script Fetches $150,000 at Auction
The script for David Lynch’s unproduced film «Ronnie Rocket: The Absurd Mystery of the Strange Forces of Existence» was sold at auction for $150,000, as reported by Rolling Stone. The sale took place on June 18 during a high-profile event hosted by Julien’s Auctions and Turner Classic Movies, where items from the late filmmaker’s personal collection and archive fetched a staggering total of over $4.5 million.
Among the treasures sold were Lynch’s director’s chair, which went for $70,000, a 35mm print of his 1997 film «Eraserhead» for $40,000, and a personal copy of the «Mulholland Drive» script, which commanded $98,000. Another standout was Lynch’s beloved La Marzocco GS/3 espresso machine, snapped up for $35,000. A notorious coffee aficionado, Lynch was known to savor more than 20 cups of espresso daily.
Lynch first envisioned «Ronnie Rocket» in the late 1970s, describing it as a surreal tale “about electricity and a three-foot-tall guy with red hair.” Despite multiple revisions to the script, the project never secured funding. Yet, as late as 2013, the creator of «Twin Peaks» insisted that «Ronnie» remained a living dream. “I’m waiting for a time when I don’t care what happens, except that the film gets finished,” he said. “It might be a picture I love, but I’m not sure it would draw a crowd. It’s very abstract.”
Ann Kroeber, widow of sound designer Alan Splet, who worked on «Eraserhead» and «The Elephant Man», called the unmade film Lynch’s “most meticulously crafted story.” She suggested the project stalled not for lack of studio interest but because Lynch himself wasn’t ready to bring it to life.
