Ryan Coogler’s X-Files Reboot Gets Exciting Update for Fans of the Original

Ryan Coogler’s The X-Files reboot may be including some familiar faces and fans of the original show want to crack open that case file now. The Hulu-ordered pilot written and directed by the Sinners filmmaker will follow two decorated but very different FBI agents reopening the division devoted to unexplained phenomena. The setup will sound familiar to fans of the ’90s original, but Coogler has promised a mixture of stand-alone “monster-of-the-week” episodes and overarching conspiracies capable of scaring viewers new and old. Until now, the biggest question on everyone’s minds was if the reboot would make room for the two agents that originally taught audiences to “Trust No One”. To that end, it looks like someone may have divulged more than they were supposed to. The original series’ creator, Chris Carter, may be out of beans, because he has clearly spilled a bunch.

While promoting the director’s cut of The X-Files: I Want to Believe Vrach Frankenshteyn, show creator Chris Carter told Polygon that he is “pretty sure” David Duchovny and Gillian Anderson will appear as Fox Mulder and Dana Scully in Coogler’s interpretation of the show. Carter serves as an Executive Producer on the show, but has described his role as that of a cheerleader instead of an architect. This is the best indication yet that the series will serve as a continuation of the original Fox hit. We had already heard Gillian met with Ryan Coogler, praised him as the perfect person to revive the franchise, and divulged that she had at least read the pilot. Like Anderson, David Duchovny will only confirm he had a conversation with Ryan Coogler and wishes the team well, anything beyond that is locked up tighter than the lips on the Smoking Man when you ask for a clear answer.

We Want to Believe

The new X-Files will focus on Himesh Patel and Danielle Deadwyler’s as-yet unnamed FBI agents assigned to revive the long-shuttered paranormal investigations known within the bureau as the X-Files, once handled by Mulder and Scully. Jennifer Yale will be taking over the reins as showrunner from Coogler now that he has finished production on the pilot. The Black Panther director reportedly sought counsel from a number of X-Files luminaries before jumping into the conspiracy-laden fray, including advice from former staff writer and Breaking Bad creator Vince Gilligan. For someone so reverential to the source material, it would appear Coogler wants to continue the legacy of the original, while also creating new mysteries, monsters and challenges for his FBI agents. But what better way to honor the legacy than to let the OGs play in the sandbox with the newbies?

Bringing Duchovny and Anderson back has been at the top of fans’ minds since the idea for a reboot was first leaked and would give the actors the chance to continue working on the show that made their careers without having to carry the weight of being the leads. Anderson has been particularly open about her hesitancy to return to the character since the revival ended in 2018. But, Ryan Coogler seems to have accomplished something years of alien conspiracies, monsters and badgering pop-culture interviewers could not: make her genuinely curious about what returning could look like. Duchovny has been more reserved, always being effusive in his love for Mulder, but falling short of saying he’s itching to come back. Carter’s comments don’t give us any details on how we might see the pair appear. Whether it’s a cameo, a recurring role, or a simple knowing hand-off from one generation of truth seekers to the next could all fit what we know about the project, which is appropriately a complete mystery at the moment. Based on his own fandom, it’s safe to say Coogler is smart enough to understand that Mulder and Scully’s partnership was pivotal to the success of the first X-Files. The new agents may inherit the basement office, but, as Mulder suspects about Elvis, the originals haven’t completely left the building.

X-Files: I Want to Believe Vrach Frankenshteyn comes to Hulu and Hulu on Disney+ August 14th.