The X-Filesreboot gets an encouraging update from Ryan Coogler. When it was initially announced, Coogler’s reboot of the game-changing 1990s series garnered a lot of attention. However, the project has been relatively slow to move forward, likely in part because of Coogler’s status as one of the most sought-after filmmakers in Hollywood. TheBlack PantherandCreeddirector is currently promoting hisacclaimed blockbusterSinners, which reunites him with Michael B. Jordan and fuses different genres.
In an interview onLast Podcast On The Left, Coogler revealed that he will be working onThe X-FilesafterSinners. The two-time Oscar nominee was asked which project he’ll be involved with next, responding thathe will begin work on the reboot “immediately next.”He adds, in the quote below, that he hopes the new episodes will be “f—king scary”:
I’m working on X-Files. That’s what’s immediately next. So, I’ve been excited about that for a long time, and I’m fired up to get back to it, and that, you know, some of those episodes, if we do our jobs right, will be really f—king scary.
Asked about Gillian Anderson’s involvement intheX-Filesreboot, Coogler mentions that he’s spoken to her and noted that he is excited to see her in the upcoming movieTron: Ares. Even though the filmmaker didn’t directly address whether Anderson will be back in the role of Dana Scully, heremained optimistic about the possibility, adding:
I’ve spoken to the great Gillian. […] She’s incredible.Fingers crossed there. I can’t wait to see her. She’s in Tron [Ares]. I just seen a trailer for that. When I spoke to her, she was finishing that up. But, yeah, but we’re gonna try to make something really…we’re gonna try to make something really great, bro, and really, really be, you know, something for the real X-Files fans, you know what I’m saying? And, maybe, find some new ones.
What This Means For The X-Files Reboot
It Could Start Moving Fast
Things have been relatively quiet for theX-Filesreboot, save for the occasional comment from Anderson and David Duchovny. But if Coogler is indeed turning his attention to the project,reports about potential castings and a better idea about the premise could follow. That would include, of course, the question of whether diehard fans will get tosee Mulder and Scully again.
Still, there is a caveat that Coogler is a busy writer, director, and producer. He’s been linked to several projects, includingBlack Panther 3, though it is possible that he will help get the reboot off the ground and then ultimately hand the series over to a different showrunner for a more distanced involvement. This is purely speculative, butthe urgency in Coogler’s response suggests that there may finally be some news.
Our Take On The X-Files Reboot
There’s Good Reason To Be Intrigued
Betweenthe disappointing end toThe X-Filesrevivaland reboots generally missing the mark, there normally wouldn’t be much of a reason to get excited over yet another attempt to recapture something that was once popular. Coogler’s involvement, though, isa promise that he will at least attempt something different than the influential Chris Carter series. The positive response toSinners, which leans on supernatural horror, is another reason to be cautiously hopeful. This could become the rare reboot that wins over new and old fans in equal measure.
