Earlier this year, it was reported that Black Panther franchise director Ryan Coogler was going to be developing a reboot of The X-Files. That initial information was shared by series creator Chris Carter, who said at the time: “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.”
Bloomberg has now confirmed that Coogler is indeed working on a reboot of The X-Files for Disney’s 20th Century Studios. There still aren’t any details to share, but the project is in active development.
As a longtime fan of The X-Files, I think that continuing the series without Agents Mulder (David Duchovny) and Scully (Gillian Anderson) is going to be a hard sell for a lot of fans. So, Coogler and his creative team have really got to knock it out of the park when it comes to the stories that the series tells. If they can manage to tell great and fun stories with interesting and likable characters, then they have a shot at succeeding. But, the original series set such a high bar… so, good luck to them!
Back in 2020 there was an animated spinoff comedy series being developed titled The X-Files: Albuquerque, which Carter was attached to produce for Fox. That series was going to revolve around an “office full of misfit agents who investigate X-Files cases too wacky, ridiculous or downright dopey for Mulder and Scully to bother with.” It’s explained that these agents are basically the X-Files’ B-team. That project ended up being scrapped.
The X-Files originally aired from 1993 to 2002 and the show follows FBI agents Fox Mulder and Dana Scully as they investigate unsolved and often paranormal cases known as X-Files. Mulder is a believer in the existence of extraterrestrial life and government conspiracies, while Scully is a skeptical scientist assigned to debunk his theories. Together, they uncover a complex web of government cover-ups, supernatural phenomena, and mysterious creatures while navigating their own personal and professional challenges. It left an indelible mark on popular culture and has a devoted fanbase that continues to embrace its wild stories.
Do you think Ryan Coogler has what it takes to develop a great new X-Files series?
