Hulu has confirmed that it's officially moving forward with Ryan Coogler's reboot of The X-Files. Himesh Patel (The Odyssey) and Danielle Deadwyler (The Bell Jar) are leading this new iteration of the show, which has now been ordered to series by the streamer.
After Chloé Zhao's Buffy the Vampire Slayer: New Sunnydale was scrapped, there were concerns that The X-Files could go the same way, even with Coogler at the helm. Fortunately, this reimagining clearly works where that one didn't.
According to the reboot's official logline, this new take on Chris Carter's classic series follows two highly decorated but vastly different FBI agents, played by Deadwyler and Patel, who form an unlikely bond when they are assigned to a long-shuttered division devoted to cases involving unexplained phenomena.
Coogler, best known for the Black Panther franchise and Sinners, wrote, directed, and executive produced the pilot. Jennifer Yale is showrunner, while Carter, Zinzi Coogler, and Sev Ohanian will executive produce. The co-executive producers are Simone Harris for Proximity Media, along with Deadwyler and Patel.
"I’ve loved The X-Files for a long time, so getting the chance to write and direct the pilot has meant a great deal to me," Coogler said today. "What Chris Carter created is special, and we wanted to honor everything that made the original series connect with so many people while also finding our own way into that world."
"Danielle and Himesh, along with the rest of our cast, have brought such original perspectives and performances to these characters, and watching that come together has been one of the most rewarding parts of the experience."
"I couldn’t have asked for better collaborators than my crew, colleagues at Proximity Media and our partners at Onyx Collective and 20th Television," the filmmaker continued. "I’m grateful for the trust and support they’ve given us as we take on this new chapter."
Zinzi Coogler, Sev Ohanian and Ryan Coogler, founders of Proximity Media, added, "We’re looking forward to continuing this journey as executive producers and especially excited to work closely with Jennifer Yale, Simone Harris, and the entire cast and crew as we bring this new chapter of The X-Files to life."
"It was also incredibly special to have our fellow Proximity co-founder Ludwig Göransson contribute the score for the pilot, making this a true collaboration across the Proximity family."
It's been a three-year journey to bring The X-Files back to our screens, as it was in 2023 that we first learned of Coogler's hopes to revisit the iconic sci-fi property. The original iteration was, of course, led by Gillian Anderson and David Duchovny as FBI Special Agents Dana Scully and Fox Mulder.
That ran for nine seasons and spawned two movies and a two-season revival in 2016. It's unclear whether Anderson and Duchovny will return in this new take.