There’s finally another update on Ryan Coogler’s reboot of The X-Files! Details thus far have been scarce, but in March 2023, Chris Carter, who created and served as showrunner for the original series and its two mediocre revival seasons, let it slip that he’d given Ryan Coogler his blessing to bring the series back with a new, “diverse” cast. A December 2023 industry report claimed that it was being developed for Disney. While promoting Sinners last spring, Coogler confirmed his involvement and promised that some of the episodes would be ”really f-cking scary.”
This past fall, Coogler said post-Sinners, the X-Files project was up next on his list. Now, we have confirmation that the reboot has a pilot order at Hulu, and Coogler will be writing and directing it. Danielle Deadwyler, whose involvement has been rumored for months, has also officially been announced as the female co-lead.
The hunt for the truth out there is back on. Ryan Coogler‘s long-gestating The X-Files reboot has received a pilot greenlight at Hulu. Danielle Deadwyler (The Piano Lesson) is set as the co-lead in the project, from Onyx Collective and 20th Television. Jennifer Yale (The Copenhagen Test) has come on board as showrunner, Deadline can reveal exclusively.
Sinners filmmaker Coogler is writing and directing the pilot for the new X-Files. In it, two highly decorated but vastly different FBI agents — one played by Deadwyler — form an unlikely bond when they are assigned to a long-shuttered division devoted to cases involving unexplained phenomena.
Yale executive produces alongside The X-Files creator Chris Carter as well as Coogler, Sev Ohanian and Zinzi Coogler of Proximity Media. The company’s Simone Harris is a co-executive producer. The pilot is being cast by Sinners casting director Francine Maisler.
The pilot order caps a three-year journey for the project, which falls under Black Panther director Coogler’s five-year exclusive television deal with Disney, the parent company of Hulu, 20th TV and Onyx.
Deadwyler is set to star in the upcoming HBO comedy series Rooster alongside Steve Carell, Charly Clive and Phil Dunster. She can also be seen in upcoming Season 3 of Euphoria, and in The Saviors, an American dark comedy thriller directed by Kevin Hamedani. She recently appeared in The Woman in the Yard, serving as an executive producer on the film, directed by Jaume Collet-Serra. She’s repped by Paradigm, Play Management and Ziffren Brittenham.
This is so exciting! I’m happy about Danielle Deadwyler’s casting. I think she’ll do a great job. I know they’re still in the casting process, but I’m dying to know who else will star in it. I’ve thrown Manny Jacinto’s name out there in the past, and still think he’d be awesome in the Mulder role. Ooh, do you think they’ll switch it up and have Deadwyler’s character be the Mulder and put the male lead in the Scully role? Speaking of, Coogler’s been in touch with Gillian Anderson. I don’t think she’d ever go back for Carter again, but I could see her doing a guest appearance or a cameo for The Coogler Files. My only real prediction for a returning cast member in a recurring capacity is Mitch Pileggi coming back as Skinner.
It also makes more sense that they’d put it on Hulu than on Disney+, especially since Disney is consolidating both streaming services into one app. I don’t have Hulu anymore, but I know I’ll end up reactivating my account to watch this reboot. I hope the pilot gets picked up and it ends up coming out sometime in 2026. I don’t want to wait another year.
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Yep this is going to drag me back to Hulu. I am ridiculously excited for this!
I remember watching the pilot of the original and I became a total fan of the series and it’s cast. I wasn’t keen on a remake and if it was anyone but Ryan behind it I would be worried. Looking forward to watching it now!
Hell yes! Excited that this is still happening.
I can’t wait to see where this goes. And who else ends up in it. Excited for Danielle. It’s interesting bc I wonder if she’s going to be the sully character but at the same time idk that its going to follow an exact template with the characters .
This is my first experience of them remaking something that I was an obsessed fan of. OBSESSED. It was defining for me. And….I’m just not interested.
I like the names involved but I’m realizing the original is in my bone marrow. So this is not for me, and that’s fine. Hope it does well. 🤷♀️
I might be in the minority but I hope nobody from the 90’s cast comes back. In order to work and avoid comparisons from hard core fans it has to be a clean new plot and new faces.
Something in the line of Mindhunter can work well. Fringe had a similarish idea but non related faces and it did very well during a couple of years.
I CAN’T WAIT!!!
It just can’t come fast enough!
This looks sooooo good. It is really really hard to re-watch the orginal series and not cringe at the misogyny. Gillian is a far better actor than David and Scully was done dirty by the plotting throughout the entire series. The reboot has horrific and betrayed Scully’s entire character arch. Chris Carter isn’t capable of fixing the problems he created with the series mythology because he belittles Gillian’s justified criticism. I canceled Disney+/Hulu for supporting the fascist regime. Hopefully, my library ends up with the series on DVD.
Thank GOODNESS it’s going to Hulu…as I get that package through my Verizon account because I don’t have Netflix! Never watched the original but I will definitely watch this reboot✨️🖥✨️
I’m excited for this (but also not TOO excited, because the original was so good). I like Deadwyler, but it’s difficult to say whether she’s a good choice or not yet because it will be totally dependent on how well the two main actors pair together.
That is a shame, because I won’t be re-subbing. No amount of TV viewing is a wonderful as the right to free speech.
If Gillian is on board for a cameo, David will join as well. I’m SURE of it. he won’t pass up on the possibility of saying goodbye to his his character with dignity, let’s put it like that. season 11 was not IT, for both of them. Gillian will be thrilled not to fall victim to Chris Carters obession over Scully’s uterus again, i trust Ryan will NOT go there 😀 😀