The truth is still out there, it seems: A reboot of the ’90s sci-fi classic “The X-Files” from Oscar nominee Ryan Coogler has landed a pilot order at Hulu, Deadline reports, with Danielle Deadwyler (“Station Eleven”) set to star. (TVLine has reached out to Hulu for confirmation.)
Deadwyler will play one of the show’s two leads, with the other lead still yet to be cast. The official logline for the reboot reads: “Two highly decorated but vastly different FBI agents form an unlikely bond when they are assigned to a long-shuttered division devoted to cases involving unexplained phenomena.” Coogler — currently nominated for multiple Oscars for “Sinners” — will write and direct the pilot, with Jennifer Yale (“Outlander”) serving as showrunner.
Deadwyler is best known for her acclaimed work in films like “Till” and “The Piano Lesson,” along with the Netflix Western “The Harder They Fall” and the horror movie “The Woman in the Yard.” But she’s done plenty of TV work, too, including “Station Eleven,” “P-Valley,” and a recent appearance on “The Bear” as Sydney’s cousin Chantel.
The new-look X-Files may feature a familiar face
The “X-Files” reboot — billed as a diverse take on the original series — has been in the work for some time, with the news of Ryan Coogler’s involvement first reported back in March 2023. Original series creator Chris Carter will not be involved with the reboot, but he gave the project “my blessing” in a 2024 interview.
Original stars David Duchovny and Gillian Anderson are not currently attached to the pilot, but Anderson hinted that she might be interested in appearing because she respects Coogler so much, calling him “a brilliant, brilliant director” and “a bit of a genius”: “I’m not saying no, because I think he’s really cool. And I think if he did it, it probably would be done incredibly well. Maybe I’ll pop in for a little somethin’-somethin.'”
“The X-Files” debuted on Fox in 1993, with Duchovny and Anderson starring as Fox Mulder and Dana Scully, a mismatched pair of FBI agents assigned to investigate unexplained and paranormal phenomena. It became a cultural sensation, running for nine seasons and spinning off into two movies that hit theaters in 1998 and 2008. Duchovny, Anderson, and Carter returned for a 2016 revival on Fox, which ran for two seasons.
Do you want to believe in Coogler’s “X-Files” reboot? Who would you cast opposite Danielle Deadwyler? Let us know in a comment below!