Sinners and Black Panther director Ryan Coogler has confirmed that his next project is a revival of iconic TV series, The X-Files.
In a podcast discussion on long-running show The Last Podcast on the Left, Coogler finally spoke about a long-running rumour that he’s been working on a new series of The X-Files. The cult sci-fi thriller series is now owned by Disney following the sale of 20th Century Fox.
Coogler has suggested that, following the release of his latest film Sinners, it would be his next project:
“I’ve been excited on that for a long time and I’m fired up to get back to it,” he said. “If we get it right, it will be really f*king scary.”
What many believed to be the final season of The X-Files ended in 2018, after a shorter two-series revival 14 years after the original run ended, and almost a decade beyond the second feature film, I Want to Believe, in 2008. Yet in early 2023, during an appearance on a show called On The Coast With Gloria Macarenko, timed to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the show, series creator Chris Carter brought Coogler into the conversation about its future:
“I just spoke to a young man, Ryan Coogler, who is going to remount The X-Files with a diverse cast. So he’s got his work cut out for him, because we covered so much territory.”
Disney and Coogler kept quiet at the time, refusing to be drawn on the claim, despite it coming from the highest authority outside of the network, but Carter continued raising the subject in various appearances. He said Coogler had “good ideas” and was excited at the possibility of a new voice becoming involved, though he raised concerns about how easy it would be to “mount”. He also suggested Disney had not been best pleased with his loose lips on the subject, telling Popverse: “I’m not supposed to talk about it. Wink wink.”
Very conspiratorial – and on-brand with the show.
The subject went largely quiet until Coogler’s interview on the Sinners press tour, blowing open a reality most X-Files fans had given up on: the possibility of new adventures for agents Mulder and Scully. Carter’s earlier comments had led to speculation that Coogler was planning a fresh reboot, leaving David Duchovny and Gillian Anderson’s legendary turns in the past.
During his conversation on The Last Podcast on the Left, however, he was asked – half jokingly – about whether he had spoken to Gillian Anderson. He not only confirmed he had, but that he was “hopeful” something might come of it, which suggests a new series could well still feature the original characters in some capacity. This aligns with Anderson confirming to Today she had spoken with Coogler about the idea last year:
“There’s a chance it will happen,” she said. “Whether I’m involved in it is a whole other thing. But in his hands – but I’m not saying no – because I think (Coogler) is really cool, and I think if he did it, it would probably be done incredibly well, and maybe I’ll pop in for a little somethin-somethin.”
Anderson is rarely drawn on The X-Files these days, after being vocally open about some of the eye-opening choices made for Scully in the eleventh season. She also continues to build a career in which she isn’t solely known for Dr Dana Scully. Her comments, plus Coogler’s, nonetheless mean a new series could be less of a full, fresh reboot than many came to believe.
Now we just wait for Disney to officially confirm a reboot/revival/something else is on the way, at which point true speculation on a new era for The X-Files can really begin.
Maybe the truth really is still out there.
You can find A J. on social media, including links to his podcasts and books, via Linktr.ee here. Don’t miss him on The X-Cast: An X-Files Podcast on the Film Stories Podcast Network too.
