There are several explanations for why Lynch turned down Lucas’ offer. Kazanjian implied—in either an interview [..] that Lynch turned down the offer because Dino De Laurentiis offered him Dune, an offer Lynch accepted. More recently, Kazanjian said, at a Star Wars Celebration convention in Anaheim, that Lynch wasn’t hired because, “Ah, he didn’t want Johnny Williams to do the music and he didn’t want Ben Burtt—Academy Award winner like three times—to do the sound.” [..] Incredible, yes—as in hard to believe. Kazanjian’s original claim, that Lynch weighed the pros and cons of Lucas’s offer and chose Dune instead, is more credible.
Not so much. Lynch already had the idea before Dune that he wanted more creative control because he was afraid what a studio exec would do to his vision. After Dune, he resolved to never give up creative control ever again, and repeated that time and again to anyone who would listen.
Sound was incredibly important to Lynch. He produced his own music and partnered with other artists on many of his projects, to get the exact sound he wanted. Lynch having to work with Williams and Burtt would be like Aphex Twin having to work with Walt Disney.
I stopped reading as they keep trying to probe what Lynch's Return would be like. It's like asking what David Cronenberg's Toy Story 2 would be like (though obviously that would end up like MAD GOD). Why speculate about something clearly unsuitable, other than for a grim chuckle?
The growing headache Lynch mentions is such a great metaphor for the sinking feeling he must have felt as Lucas showed him things that had already been decided for him before he even agreed to direct. Lynch is known not only for paying close attention to sound design, but also for building many props himself to ensure they were exactly as he envisioned.
Sound was incredibly important to Lynch. He produced his own music and partnered with other artists on many of his projects, to get the exact sound he wanted. Lynch having to work with Williams and Burtt would be like Aphex Twin having to work with Walt Disney.
I stopped reading as they keep trying to probe what Lynch's Return would be like. It's like asking what David Cronenberg's Toy Story 2 would be like (though obviously that would end up like MAD GOD). Why speculate about something clearly unsuitable, other than for a grim chuckle?