Ryan Coogler is officially heading into the unknown. The Sinners and Black Panther filmmaker has confirmed that his planned reboot of The X-Files is now his immediate next project — and it sounds like things are moving full steam ahead.
“I’m working on X-Files, bro. That’s what’s immediately next,” Coogler said on a recent episode of The Last Podcast on the Left. “I’ve been excited about that for a long time and I’m fired up to get back to it… some of those episodes, if we do our jobs right, will be really f-king scary.”
The reboot was first reported to be in development in 2023, when original series creator Chris Carter revealed that Coogler had approached him with a new take on the franchise. The project is being developed under Coogler’s overall deal with Walt Disney Television through his Proximity Media banner.
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While plot details are still under wraps, Coogler has teased that the show will try to honour the legacy of the original while carving out space for new fans. “We’re gonna try to make something really great,” he said, “and really be something for the real X-Files fans… and maybe find some new ones.”
Asked whether he’s connected with Gillian Anderson, Coogler confirmed that they’ve been in touch: “I’ve spoken to the great Gillian Anderson. She’s amazing. She’s incredible… fingers crossed there.” He added that Anderson had been finishing Tron: Ares when they last spoke and that he was excited to see her in the upcoming sci-fi film.
Anderson, who played Agent Dana Scully opposite David Duchovny’s Fox Mulder across 11 seasons of the show, spoke about Coogler’s reboot in an April 2024 interview on the Today show. “Most of my life, since I have finished The X-Files, every interview I do, people have asked and the answer has always been, ‘Nope, not going to happen, not going to happen,’” Anderson said. “Now, Ryan Coogler, who is the director of Black Panther — brilliant, brilliant director — has approached [X-Files creator] Chris Carter to say that he wants to do a take on it, and I cannot think of a better way around for a reboot to happen.”
Calling Coogler “a bit of a genius,” she added: “There’s a chance [a reboot will] happen. Whether I am involved in it is a whole other thing. I’m not saying no. I think he’s really cool and I think if he did it, it would probably be done incredibly well. And maybe I’ll pop in for a little something something.”
Coogler’s take is expected to feature a new cast and modern approach to the show’s paranormal roots. News of Coogler’s involvement was first shared by series creator Chris Carter in March 2023. “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,” Carter said on the CBC podcast On the Coast, adding that this new take would be different as, in this day and age, “we’re steeped in conspiracies.”
Still no official word yet on casting, filming, or when fans can expect to see Coogler’s vision hit the screen. Based on his track record and what he’s done working with major IP like Creed and Black Panther, it’s hard not to have high expectations.
