The X-Files Officially Reopen: Hulu Gives Series Order to Ryan Coogler's Reboot
It's officially time to head down to the FBI's basement and reopen the X-Files. Hulu has given a full series order to Ryan Coogler's reboot of the iconic sci-fi TV series.
The new series is a collaboration between Disney's Onyx Collective, 20th Century Television, and Coogler's Proximity Media. Coogler wrote, directed, and executive produced the pilot. Coogler will executive produce the series alongside Jennifer Yale. Yale will also serve as showrunner. Other executive producers include Proximity Media's Zinzi Coogler and Sev Ohanian and The X-Files creator Chris Carter.
The new series, which is frequently described as a "reboot" or "re-imagining" of the original show, stars Danielle Deadwyler and Himesh Patel as a new pair of intrepid FBI agents investigating cases the Bureau deems especially strange and bizarre. The series' cast also includes Steve Buscemi, Amy Madigan, Ben Foster, Devery Jacobs, Lochlyn Munro, Tantoo Cardinal, Joel D. Montgrand, and Sofia Grace Clifton.
It's unclear whether the new series acts as a sequel to the original or a complete reboot, and whether David Duchovny and Gillian Anderson might reprise their roles as Agents Fox Mulder and Dana Scully, respectively. For their part, both actors have expressed an interest in returning, with Duchovny confirming he's had talks with Coogler.
“I’ve loved ‘The X-Files’ for a long time, so getting the chance to write and direct the pilot has meant a great deal to me,” said Coogler in a statement. “What Chris Carter created is special, and we wanted to honor everything that made the original series connect with so many people while also finding our own way into that world. Danielle and Himesh, along with the rest of our cast, have brought such original perspectives and performances to these characters, and watching that come together has been one of the most rewarding parts of the experience. I couldn’t have asked for better collaborators than my crew, colleagues at Proximity Media and our partners at Onyx Collective and 20th Television. I’m grateful for the trust and support they’ve given us as we take on this new chapter.”
There's no word on a release date for the new X-Files yet. The show's pilot was filmed earlier this year, and presumably production on the rest of Season 1 will begin soon, making a late 2027 release a possibility.
In other The X-Files news, Carter has noted a desire to continue the storyline of the original series, which ended with Season 11 in 2018. Hulu also recently debuted Carter's director's cut of The X-Files: I Want to Believe. Read IGN's review of The X-Files: I Want to Believe - Vrach Frankensteyn.
The franchise is also returning to comics in the near future, with Dynamite Entertainment revealing a new series set during the classic era of the TV show.
Jesse is a mild-mannered staff writer for IGN. Allow him to lend a machete to your intellectual thicket by following @jschedeen on BlueSky.