Even if you haven't watched The X Files, you've probably heard of – or even referenced – the cult 90s television series. From its iconic eerie theme music, to its enigmatic leading duo in Dana Scully and Fox Mulder (our Music Editor even has a cat named after the latter), the show is one of those rare birds in television that took on a life of its own.
In the years since its debut in 1993, the show has achieved cult status amongst fans new and old – particularly as our growing public fascination with conspiracy theories and UFOs has become more pronounced. So it seems only fitting that news of an X Files reboot is making the rounds. What we didn't expect was for the news to be so damn good. We have Oscar-winners attached to guest star, rumoured cast reunions and an acclaimed director at the helm.
Everything you need to know, below.
What's the latest?
The latest update is that Ryan Coogler has cast eight actors in guest roles for the first season:
- Amy Madigan (of Oscar-winning Weapons fame and soon to be leading its prequel)
- Steve Buscemi
- Ben Foster
- Devery Jacobs
- Lochlyn Munro
- Tantoo Cardinal
- Joel D. Montgrand
- Sofia Grace Clifton.
These new cast members will be joining Himesh Patel and Danielle Deadwyler, who play the series' leading detective duo.
What is the reboot about?
At this point it remains unclear whether this return to screens will be a continuation of the original series, or a complete reboot. However, back in March, the show's original screenwriter, Chris Carter, made mention on a podcast that he was interested in "remounting" the show with a diverse cast.
Who else is involved?
We know that the show will be helmed by Sinners and Black Panther director Coogler, and that behind the scenes, Deadline exclusively reported that Jennifer Yale (The Copenhagen Test) has come on board as showrunner.
Leading the show as one half of the iconic detective duo will be Danielle Deadwyler (who you may recognise from Till and The Piano Lesson) and although we are yet to discover who will play opposite Danielle, what we do know is that The X-Files creator Chris Carter revealed on a 2023 podcast that Coogler is "going to remount The X Files with a diverse cast". We'd of course love to see more of his regular collaborator Michael B. Jordan in the mix too.
Will the original cast return?
As for whether the show's favourite leading duo would return in some capacity, Gillian Anderson (who played Dana Scully) and David Duchovny (Fox Mulders) have both previously expressed mixed feelings about the idea of a reboot – but have mentioned in interviews past that they would consider it if the other were to get involved.
When and where can I watch it?
The show has received a pilot green light at this point – so we're likely to see it hit screens sometime soon.
The pilot order is the beginning of a three-year journey for the project, which comes as part of Coogler’s five-year exclusive television deal with Disney.
Considering Hulu/Disney is the machine behind the show, we're expecting you'll be able to stream The X Files reboot on their streaming platform, Disney+ when it eventually comes out in Australia. But we'll be sure to keep you updated here.
