Gillian Anderson wants fans to have an “open mind” when they see the new The X-Files reboot from Sinners director Ryan Coogler.
Anderson has had “a few conversations” with Coogler since he began developing the series for Hulu, she told journalist Dory Jackson at Awesome Con. “He’s such a cool guy, so talented,” Anderson also said, “and the pilot script is really good.” She went on to ask that fans of the original series “have an open mind and give it a chance because it is gonna be f---ing cool. It really is.”
The original Scully added, “It’s something different. It’s not… It’s different, and it’s special, so—give it a break.”
Series creator Chris Carter first revealed in 2023 that Coolger, who is fresh off his Oscar win for Best Original Screenplay at this year’s Oscars for Sinners, which also won Best Original Score, Best Cinematography, and Best Actor for Michael B. Jordan, would be involved in a new “diverse” iteration of the series.
Backlash emerged right away, with peeved X-Files fans flocking to Reddit to object to Coogler’s take on the series.
But with just as many, if not more, fans expressing total faith in Coogler, the series has moved full-speed ahead at Hulu.
In February, the series cast Danielle Deadwyler, known for her roles as murdered teen Emmett Till’s mother in Till (2022) and the Netflix western The Harder They Fall (2021), as one half of the new FBI duo who will take on the unexplained. Casting for the Mulder role has not yet been announced.
Anderson has consistently reiterated her faith in Coogler’s retelling of the fan-favorite show, which starred Anderson and David Duchovny over nine seasons from 1993 to 2002, as well as a brief 2-season revival in 2016. “I spoke to him,” she said last May, “and what I said was, ‘If anyone were to do it, I think you are the perfect person, and best of luck.’”
She also suggested that an on-screen appearance could potentially be on the horizon, adding, “At some point, if the phone rings and it’s good and it feels like the right time, then perhaps.”
Duchovny, for his part, told ScreenRant in 2024 that he “doesn’t really have any thoughts” on the upcoming series. “It seems to be a whole separate project. I wish them luck,” he said at the time.
In October, Coogler revealed that his connection to The X-Files is sentimental, telling Variety, “The X-Files is one of those things with my mom,” the way “my relationship with Rocky is with my dad.” He added at the time, “This is a big one for me. I want to do right by her and the fans. My mom has read some of the stuff I wrote for it. She’s fired up.”
In April, while confirming his involvement in the reboot for the first time, he told Last Podcast on the Left, “I’ve been excited about that for a long time, and I’m fired up to get back to it. Some of those episodes, if we do our jobs right, will be really f---ing scary. We’re gonna try to make something really great, bro, and really be something for the real X-Files fans, and maybe find some new ones.”
