Updated

Updated · The Daily Beast · Aug 15

Ryan Coogler Directs X-Files Pilot as Chris Carter Expects 2 Original Stars to Return

Updated

Updated · The Daily Beast · Aug 15

Ryan Coogler Directs X-Files Pilot as Chris Carter Expects 2 Original Stars to Return

Q: How will the classic X-Files mythology connect to Coogler's new universe, and what mysterious role will Mulder and Scully actually play?

Coogler’s series appears set to connect to the classic mythology through continuity, not a clean reset. Chris Carter has said the new show is expected to overlap with the original universe, and reporting around the pilot describes Deadwyler and Himesh Patel as new FBI agents reopening a long-shuttered X-Files division years after the 2018 revival. That strongly suggests the old cases, institutions and unresolved lore still exist in this version. The clearest bridge is Mulder and Scully. Carter said he believes Gillian Anderson will appear and assumes David Duchovny will as well, meaning the original agents are likely to be present in some form. Anderson has confirmed she has spoken with Coogler and read the pilot, calling it “different” and “special,” while Duchovny has said the writing will determine whether it works. Those comments point to real involvement, but not yet to its size. What remains unknown is the actual role they will play. No official synopsis has defined whether Mulder and Scully are cameos, mentors, recurring figures, or direct participants in the new conspiracy. Based on what is public, the most likely scenario is that they serve as a legacy bridge into Coogler’s story while the new agents carry the lead narrative. So the answer, for now, is partial: the new show seems to be a legacy-continuation inside the existing X-Files world, but the exact mythology links and the scale of Mulder and Scully’s involvement are still being deliberately kept under wraps.

3 articles · Updated · The Daily Beast · Aug 15

Ryan Coogler has written and directed a pilot for a diverse X-Files reboot, with Danielle Deadwyler and Himesh Patel set to play a new pair of FBI agents.
Chris Carter said he is stepping back from the franchise until Coogler’s series arrives, declining to read the script despite his executive producer credit because he does not want to interfere.
Carter told Polygon he believes Gillian Anderson and David Duchovny will appear in the new series, suggesting Mulder and Scully will overlap with the reboot even as it follows different leads.
The project has already shot in Vancouver, and Carter said crew “tidbits” he heard were exciting; Anderson previously called the pilot script “f---ing cool,” while Duchovny said he has discussed the show with Coogler.
Carter said he still has another X-Files story to tell, but for now is focusing on a newly restored cut of the 2008 film and waiting to see where Coogler takes the universe.