Chris Carter is promoting The X-Files: I Want to Believe – Vrach Frankenshteyn, his R-rated director’s cut of the 2008 movie. It drops on Disney+ and Hulu on Friday, August 14. Carter sat down with Polygon to discuss both the revamped film and Ryan Coogler’s upcoming X-Files reboot, which finished filming its pilot earlier this summer. Plot details are being kept under wraps, but it stars Danielle Deadwyler and Himesh Patel in the Scully and Mulder roles. Amy Madigan, Steve Buscemi, and Ben Foster have all been confirmed as guest stars. When Polygon asked Carter if Coogler’s new series would affect any of his own future XF plans, he confirmed a major fan theory: Gillian Anderson will likely be in it. From Polygon:

Given the fact that The X-Files is a show about investigating the unknown, it’s only natural that the show’s dedicated fandom would be an inquisitive bunch. As such, X-Files devotees still have a lot of questions about the upcoming reboot, which is being made by Sinners and Black Panther director Ryan Coogler.

For one thing, fans want to know just how much of a reboot this is. We know that the series leads will be Danielle Deadwyler and Himesh Patel, but will this show take place in an entirely new continuity? Or will it take place in the same timeline as the original series? If it’s the latter, will we see any familiar faces?

In an interview with Polygon about the upcoming director’s cut of the 2008 film The X-Files: I Want to Believe, which is coming to Disney Plus and Hulu on August 14, original series creator Chris Carter may have shed some light on these questions.

When I asked about a potential continuation of the original series with Agent Mulder (David Duchovny) and Agent Scully (Gillian Anderson), Carter said, “At least Gillian, I think, is going to appear in the Coogler version. And I’m assuming David will too, so you will see Mulder and Scully there.”

Carter hasn’t seen the reboot yet, but if this is correct, it already answers a lot of questions. It means that this series will be taking place in the continuity of the original series.

Given the reboot, I asked Carter if Coogler’s series may make a continuation of the original series more complicated. Carter replied, “I don’t know. When I see it, I’ll know, and so will the Fox executives. They’ll have a sense if these things are going to be in competition or if they are going to be complementary.”

Carter then added, “I would love to do either another reboot, or another movie. My ideas going forward are big ideas. Whether they’re a TV series or a movie, I don’t know, but I have big plans.”

Whether or not that might mean some sort of finale or closure for those characters, Carter didn’t disclose, but he did make clear that he’s dedicated to bringing Mulder and Scully back.

[From Polygon]

Fans have been speculating about Anderson’s involvement ever since she called the pilot script “really good.” I’ve always theorized that if Scully appeared, it would be early on and kept under wraps for as long as possible. I also predicted that Mulder would show up toward the end of the first season to keep us hooked. I’m excited to get confirmation that the reboot is set in the same universe but can’t believe Carter just casually gave that info up. He’s also the one who spilled the beans, before it was officially announced, by revealing that Coogler approached him about the reboot. Who would have thought that the creator of The X-Files cannot keep a secret?

I’m genuinely looking forward to seeing what Coogler does with the franchise, but we don’t need any more X-Files content from Carter himself. The 2016/2018 reboot seasons were a disappointment. Passing the torch to a talented creator will do so much more for the series’ legacy. Anderson has also been vocal about how much she disliked what was done with Scully’s character and how much of a boys’ club the production was. I doubt she’d return for another Carter-helmed project.

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