After Disney purchased 20th Century Fox, they slowly began to retool the latter’s franchises, either through reboots, sequels, or remakes. The Alien franchise, for example, is now in a new era with the release of Alien Romulus and the show Alien Earth, which is now in production on its second season. One franchise that Disney is only now beginning to reboot, however, is The X-Files.
The iconic franchise led by David Duchovny and Gillian Anderson first started in 1993, and has gone on to become one of the most famous shows of all time, with over 200 episodes spanning nearly 30 years.
In that time, there were X-Files movies made as well as the show. The first movie, titled The X-Files: Fight the Future, was remarkably successful, as it was the biggest film of the summer of 1998. Now, Disney are hoping to rekindle that success with a new rebooted version of the show, with Academy Award winner Ryan Coogler at the helm.
The pilot for the rebooted series just finished filming, and it stars Himesh Patel and Danielle Deadwyler in central roles. Patel recently gave an interview in which he talked about the new show, but refused to say if David Duchovny or Gillian Anderson would be coming back (but the latter has read the script). The new reboot needs to get this aspect right in order to be successful, as the original duo are what makes The X-Files, The X-Files.
The X-Files Reboot Will Be Focused On New Characters
While speaking with Virgin Radio UK, Patel was relatively coy about the Coogler-directed pilot he just finished filming. He was asked if his character is a believer in the paranormal or a doubter, and he refused to sway one way or another. Instead, Patel spoke of the importance of saving these reveals for when the new iteration of the series returns.
However, Patel did say that he and Disney are taking a slow approach to the project, noting: “I think it’s just not wanting … to rush it, especially when it’s a property like The X-Files that is so precious to people. [It would be great if the reboot ran for several seasons] if you’ve got the story to tell.”
As of now, not much is known about who Patel or Deadwyler are playing. However, they are said to be two young FBI agents put on a long-since-defunct branch of the organization, the X-Files, which was started by David Duchovny’s Fox Mulder back in the early 1990s.
This automatically is a huge change from most other X-Files stories. Only part of seasons 8 and 9 are without Mulder and, to a lesser extent, Scully, so having two new characters come in to lead a new generation is something that has never been attempted before. In other reboots of the franchise, such as the continuation of the show in 2018, Fox Mulder and Dana Scully were still the most central characters overall.
Fox Mulder And Dana Scully Should Have Sizable Roles
Kicking off a new era of The X-Files, one of the most influential shows ever made, by following brand-new characters makes sense from showrunner Ryan Coogler. However, getting Duchovny and Anderson involved is still crucial to the overall success of the show. The two should have sizable roles in the new X-Files, and shouldn’t be reduced to cameo appearances or anything remotely close to that.
They don’t necessarily need to play leading roles, but Mulder and Scully should still be central to the overarching story in some way. The franchise was in desperate need of a reboot, as the storyline had gotten too repetitive, but this doesn’t mean that Mulder and Scully should be left behind. They are still the key to the success of the new version of The X-Files, even if they aren’t the lead characters anymore.
- Release Date
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June 19, 1998
- Runtime
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121 Minutes
- Director
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Rob Bowman
- Writers
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Chris Carter, Frank Spotnitz
- Producers
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Daniel Sackheim