‘X-Files’ creator highlights issue with upcoming reboot
Chris Carter, the creator of the supernatural drama series X-Files, has explained one issue with Ryan Coogler’s upcoming reboot.
As of yet, details about Coogler’s take on the iconic television programme remain thin. However, due to the different social climate compared with the 1990s, Coogler will need to take X-Files in a new creative direction reflective of the times, which is a prospect that Carter believes will come with a level of difficulty.
Coogler, who directed the Marvel movie Black Panther, was revealed to be behind a new reboot in 2023, which is currently in the developmental stage. At this stage, it’s uncertain who will feature in the series, originally starring David Duchovny and Gillian Anderson, but Carter previously stated it will involve a “diverse cast”.
Carter has given Coogler his full support for the upcoming series, revealing in a new interview with Inverse, that he’s “looking forward to seeing what somebody else does with” his creation. He also revealed the duo enjoyed a “really nice conversation” about what Coogler hopes to do with X-Files.
“Casting is a hard job. Mounting it is a hard job. All the problems that I dealt with are going to be his problems,” Carter continued.
In addition to dealing with the issues that Carter faced while at the helm, the X-Files creator believes there’s added pressure on Coogler because of the dangerous rise of conspiracy theories, noting: “Everything’s a conspiracy. No one knows what the truth is. It’s completely subjective and relative now.”
Carter used the recent furore surrounding Kate Middleton as an example, and the online conspiracies that surrounded her wellbeing before she revealed her cancer diagnosis. He remarked: “Can you imagine, first of all, being sick — but then everyone’s got a take on it? The most private thing becomes the most public thing, and then the most misunderstood thing.”
The X-Files founder also revealed he had to fight hard for Anderson to be in the show, claiming executives told him, “Where’s the sex appeal?”
He elaborated: “Even though Gillian’s beautiful, she wasn’t their idea of sexy. First, because they didn’t understand what I was trying to do with the show. And she was an unknown, so that never helps.”
While it remains to be seen whether Anderson will revive her role as Dana Scully or if Duchovny returns as Fox Mulder, the latter revealed he would be open to the possibility, but only if he believed it made logical sense.
In 2023, Duchovny told The Discourse podcast: m“I can’t really answer that question. For me coming back, it’s always like, ‘Well, what are the stories? What’s the reason for being at this point?’ I mean, there are many reasons for being. One of them might be because people want to see it.”
The Californication star added: “Another would be that Chris [Carter] or someone that Chris knows and likes says, ‘Oh, I’ve got a story to tell! Check this out – this is how we could do this now.’ There’s not a world where we just come back and do it the way we did before because the world has changed.”
Despite being in development for over a year, it’s still unknown when X-Files is likely to return to television screens.
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