The X-Files returns: New lead actress revealed
The reboot of The X-Files is being filmed by a star director
Now it's official: "The X-Files" is coming back. A reboot by star director Ryan Coogler has been in the works for a long time. Now, streaming service Hulu has commissioned a pilot episode of the mystery series, with the "Sinners" creator responsible for directing and writing the script. In addition, Danielle Deadwyler has been confirmed as the new lead actress, as reported by Deadline.
The new edition of "The X-Files" focuses on two highly decorated FBI agents. The unlikely duo is set to take over a department that was shut down long ago and deals with unexplained phenomena. One agent is played by Danielle Deadwyler. The actress is known from various TV and film productions. This year, she will appear in the third season of "Euphoria". In recent years, she has also appeared in films such as "Till" and the Netflix thriller "Carry-On". It is not yet clear who will play alongside her in the X-Files reboot.
The X-Files reboot: the premise sounds familiar
While Ryan Coogler is responsible for directing and writing the pilot, Jennifer Yale has been hired as showrunner. Together with Ryan Coogler, Sev Ohanian, and Zinzi Coogler, she will also serve as executive producer. Fans of the original will probably be particularly pleased that Chris Carter, the former creator of "The X-Files," is also on board as executive producer. It remains to be seen whether the pilot will be followed by one or even several seasons of the new series. So far, only the pilot has been announced. A start date for the "X-Files" reboot has not yet been announced either.
The premise of Ryan Coogler's "X-Files" sounds all too familiar to fans. The original series also centered on two FBI agents, Fox Mulder (David Duchovny) and Dana Scully (Gillian Anderson) , who were dedicated to solving mysterious cases. Even back then, they were an extremely unlikely duo with completely opposing worldviews: Mulder believed in the paranormal, while Scully was skeptical. It remains to be seen whether Duchovny and Anderson will be involved in any way in the new series. In any case, Coogler already revealed last year that he had spoken to Anderson about the planned reboot. He also expressed his enthusiasm about the potential of an "X-Files" sequel:
Some of those episodes, if we do our jobs right, will be really fucking scary. We're gonna try to make something really great and really be something for the real 'X-Files' fans, and maybe find some new ones.
The X-Files: A classic series
"The X-Files" is one of the most influential TV series of the 1990s. The mixture of FBI procedural, horror, and science fiction captivated viewers with its dark atmosphere, high-quality production, and the chemistry between Mulder and Scully, who developed an increasingly close bond over the years. In addition to the cases of the week, the series told the story of a large-scale alien conspiracy that was revisited time and again and contributed to its enduring fascination – even if the conspiracy seemed increasingly implausible over the course of the eleven seasons. The "X-Files" not only made David Duchovny and Gillian Anderson internationally acclaimed stars. One of the writers working with showrunner Chris Carter also made his breakthrough with "The X-Files": Vince Gilligan, who later became one of the most renowned series creators in TV history with his own creations "Breaking Bad" and "Better Call Saul", and is currently being celebrated just as frenetically for his new sci-fi series "Pluribus".
The first nine seasons of "The X-Files" ran from 1993 to 2002. In the last two seasons, Robert Patrick and Annabeth Gish joined as new main characters, while Duchovny in particular withdrew more and more. After a break of several years, a tenth season followed in 2016 and the eleventh and final season in 2018. In addition, two screen sequels were made, "The X-Files: Fight the Future" and "The X-Files: I Want to Believe", which were released in 1998 and 2008, respectively.
Ryan Coogler: Record-breaking director
Ryan Coogler, a filmmaker who knows how to impress both commercially and artistically, is now taking the helm. With his two "Black Panther" blockbusters, he earned Marvel Studios over two billion US dollars at the global box office. He was also celebrated by critics and audiences alike for his two superhero films. The first "Black Panther" film even received an Oscar nomination for Best Picture in 2019 – the first superhero film ever to do so. This year, Coogler broke another record: the vampire film "Sinners", which he wrote and directed, is in the running for 16 Oscars. No other film has ever received so many nominations.
