Much like the Cigarette-Smoking Man, The X-Files just won’t die.
The Emmy-winning sci-fi hit about FBI agents who investigate unexplained phenomenon originally aired on Fox from 1993 to 2002, with two feature films in 1998 and 2008. The network later revived The X-Files for two more seasons in 2016 and 2018, bringing its tally to 218 total episodes. In 2023, creator Chris Carter shocked the fandom when he claimed Ryan Coogler was planning to “remount” the show “with a diverse cast,” but 20th Century Fox Television wouldn’t confirm or deny. Then in 2025, while promoting his red-hot vampire flick Sinners, Coogler admitted that the rumors were true and weren’t, to borrow a term from the series, humbug.
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Read on for everything to know about The X-Files reboot.
Photo by Tim P. Whitby/Getty Images – Credit: Tim P. Whitby/Getty Images
Tim P. Whitby/Getty Images
Who is Ryan Coogler?
Coogler is one of the most successful young directors working today, with his first five movies — Fruitvale Station, Creed, Black Panther, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, and Sinners — all being commercial and/or critical hits. The 38-year-old filmmaker has sparsely worked in television, besides the TV movie The Day the Series Stopped, and the Marvel Studios projects What If…?, Ironheart, and Eyes of Wakanda. He’s a two-time Oscar winner for producing Judas and the Black Messiah and Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, a Grammy and Golden Globe nominee for the Rihanna song “Lift Me Up” from Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, and a Critics Choice Award nominee for writing the Black Panther screenplay. He has yet to contend at the Emmys, but that could change if his version of The X-Files ends up becoming an awards player.
Who’s in the new X-Files cast?
The project is still in development and nobody has been officially cast, as of this writing. According to Carter, Coogler’s vision is to “remount The X-Files with a diverse cast.” The showrunner added, “He’s got his work cut out for him, because we covered so much territory.” The original cast was mostly white, however two Black actors had fan-favorite recurring roles: James Pickens Jr. as the still-alive Deputy Director Alvin Kersh, and Steven Williams as the late government informant named Mr. X.
What about Mulder and Scully?
The general definition of a reboot is that the original characters are completely reimagined with new actors. (Think Battlestar Galactica, which aired from 1979 to 1980, and then was wholly reconceived from 2003 to 2009.) It’s likely Coogler’s iteration will actually be a revival or a spin-off, and continue the story as previously told, only through the eyes of new characters. If it’s the latter, that means the original Mulder and Scully, as played by David Duchovny and Gillian Anderson, could return in some form or another. But if it’s a full-on reboot, then we can expect brand new diverse stars to play those iconic roles. House of the Dragon actor Steve Toussaint told Gold Derby in April 2025, “Oh my God, yeah, I could be Fox Mulder! Come on, Ryan, let’s make it happen.”
Gillian Anderson breaks her silence
On April 30, Anderson told the hosts of ITV1’s This Morning, “I spoke to [Coogler], and what I said was, ‘If anyone were to do it, I think you are the perfect person, and best of luck!'” She added, “At some point if the phone rings and it’s good, and it feels like the right time, perhaps. That’s what I said. He’s amazing.” The two-time Emmy-winning actress didn’t say anything more, because she was worried everyone would “forget about the lovely film” she was there to promote, The Salt Path, starring her and Jason Isaacs, which hits United Kingdom theaters on May 30. Other original X-Files stars, including Duchovny, Mitch Pileggi (as Walter Skinner), William B. Davis (as the Cigarette-Smoking Man), Robert Patrick (as John Doggett), and Annabeth Gish (as Monica Reyes), have yet to make a statement.
‘Really f–king scary’
Now that Sinners is done and dusted, Coogler is finally ready to set his sights on The X-Files, which is “immediately next” on his plate. “I’ve been excited about that for a long time and I’m fired up to get back to it,” the filmmaker said on Last Podcast on the Left in April. “Some of those episodes, if we do our jobs right, will be really fucking scary.” He also confirmed he’s spoken with Anderson, saying, “She’s incredible, and fingers crossed there. We’re going to try to make something really great, bro, and make something for the real X-Files fans and maybe find some new ones.”
Chris Carter’s message to Gold Derby
In February 2024, Gold Derby spoke with the creator of The X-Files at his Los Angeles art opening, where he told us, “There’s going to be a spin-off, I’m told. I had a nice conversation with a very talented guy named Ryan Coogler, who’s made his mark in the movie world. He wants to reboot the show with a diverse cast.” Carter confirmed that he gave his “full embrace” on the new X-Files project, and added that everything was still “top secret.” Don’t worry, fans, the truth will eventually be out there.
The X-Files Emmy history
During its original nine-year run on Fox, The X-Files won 16 Emmy Awards from 62 total nominations, including an inaugural trophy in 1994 for the show’s iconic main titles graphic design. In all, 11 different episodes took home golden statuettes: “Clyde Bruckman’s Final Repose” for guest actor Peter Boyle and writer Darin Morgan, “Nisei” for sound editing and sound mixing, “Grotesque” for cinematography, “Memento Mori” for actress Gillian Anderson and art direction, “Tempus Fugit” for sound editing, “The Post-Modern Prometheus” for art direction, “Kill Switch” for picture editing, “Two Fathers”/”One Son” for makeup, “First Person Shooter” for sound mixing and visual effects, “Theef” for makeup, and “Deadalive” for prosthetic makeup.
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