New X-Files Series Coming From Creed And Black Panther Director Ryan Coogler
Break out your sunflower seeds and "I Want To Believe" posters: The X-Files are due to be reopened again. According to original series creator Chris Carter, who appeared on CBC's "On The Coast" this week to talk about the show (in a story picked up by Bloody Disgusting), there's a revival of "The X-Files" in the works — with none other than "Creed" and "Black Panther" writer-director Ryan Coogler leading the charge.
"I just spoke to a young man, Ryan Coogler, who is going to remount 'The X-Files' with a diverse cast," Carter told host Gloria Macarenko in a retrospective segment about the series. While Carter didn't share other details about what sounds like either a reboot or legacy sequel series in development (the interview was largely about the show's Vancouver filming locations), he did add that Coogler has "got his work cut out for him, because we covered so much territory."
There's no news yet on where this updated version of "The X-Files" would air, whether it would share a title with the 1993 series, or if any cast members would return, but Carter's use of the term "remount" makes the project sound as if it might be a complete reboot (though, again, that's unconfirmed for now). While most franchise fans are resistant to reboots, "The X-Files" has such a long and winding mythology at this point that a clean slate would likely be the easiest way to approach the story of two FBI detectives tasked with exploring unexplained phenomena.
Coogler is 'remounting' the series with a new cast
The original series ran for nine seasons on FOX from 1993 to 2002, with new leads appearing in the last two seasons. Its story has also spawned two movies and two continuation seasons, with the latest installment ending in 2018. As much as we could watch Gillian Anderson and David Duchovny squabble about aliens all day, a diverse new cast sounds like a thrilling and appropriate update for a series that, in its '90s heyday, sometimes struggled to represent the cultures of people of color without relying on racist stereotypes.
As of publication time, Ryan Coogler has not commented on Chris Carter's announcement, but the filmmaker is certainly busy: He most recently wrote and directed the superhero love letter to Chadwick Boseman, "Black Panther: Wakanda Forever," and produced the latest "Rocky" film, "Creed III." It's unclear at this point whether Coogler will oversee the series as a creator, showrunner, executive producer, or in some other capacity.
There's no release date information about the newest iteration of "The X-Files" at this time.