The long-gestating reboot of The X-Files is finally happening. Ryan Coogler, the director behind Black Panther, Creed and Sinners, is developing the horror TV show, and he’s provided an update, stating the project is next on the agenda for him.
Chris Carter, the creator of The X-Files, revealed Coogler's involvement back in 2023, but there’d been no word since and it seemed like perhaps another production lost in development. Not the case, according to Coogler himself, who told The Last Podcast on the Left he’s about to jump back in on the new TV show.
"I've been excited about that for a long time and I'm fired up to get back to it," Coogler says. "Some of those episodes, if we do our jobs right, will be really fucking scary." He's working with Gillian Anderson, a longtime star of The X-Files as FBI Special Agent Dana Scully, on the project, though whether she'll appear in front of the camera is another question.
"She's incredible and fingers crossed there. We're going to try to make something really great, bro, and make something for the real X-Files fans and maybe find some new ones," he finishes.
A standard-bearer for genre television, The X-Files was a staple of the '90s, following Dana and fellow Special Agent Fox Mulder, played by David Duchovny, as they investigated mysterious crimes, often tied to apparently unexplainable phenomenon. As the show went on, it spiraled into deep state conspiracies regarding UFOs and extraterrestrial life.
The initial run gave us nine seasons and two movies, followed by two more seasons as part of a rival in the late 2010s. Anderson exited the franchise after season 11, making the future uncertain. A reboot makes a lot of sense, since the concept can be easily tweaked for any timeframe or setting, with two new leads to carry on the investigations.
Coogler's a safe pair of hands as well. Between Black Panther (still the highest-rated MCU movie on Rotten Tomatoes at 96%), its sequel, and the first Creed, he knows how to elevate franchise filmmaking and push stories forward. His latest, Sinners, is an original concept, featuring frequent collaborator Michael B. Jordan in a dual role as twin brothers defending their hometown from vampires in 1930s Mississippi.
At 98% on Rotten Tomatoes, it's another hit for Coogler. Sinners is out now. Check out our upcoming movies list for more scares coming to the silver screen.
