Published on
The X Files revival is starting to take shape…
Oscar-winning filmmaker Ryan Coogler (Black Panther, Sinners) will both write and direct the pilot episode of the 90s cult classic series reboot, which has been officially greenlit for Hulu-lulululuuuuuu…
The new series is moving away from original series creator Chris Carter’s iconic characters Mulder and Scully, played by David Duchovny and Gillian Anderson, with the announcement of two new leads.
Last month, we learned that American actress Danielle Deadwyler (The Harder They Fall, Till) had been cast as an FBI agent who gets assigned to the X Files.
Now, we know who will be playing the figurative Mulder to her figurative Scully.
British Indian actor Himesh Patel, best known for his roles in Yesterday, Tenet and the satirical comedy show The Franchise, has been cast as the show’s leading man – making this a reunion for both performers, who co-starred in the post-apocalyptic miniseries Station Eleven.
According to Variety, Deadwyler (43) and Patel (35) will be playing entirely new characters in Coogler and showrunner Jennifer Yale’s The X Files.
According to the series’ brief logline: “Two highly decorated but vastly different FBI agents (Deadwyler, Patel) form an unlikely bond when they are assigned to a long-shuttered division devoted to cases involving unexplained phenomena.”
At this time, neither Anderson nor Duchovny are attached to Coogler’s pilot.
Anderson has confirmed she’s had “a few conversations” with Coogler and has read his script for the pilot.
“He’s such a cool guy, so talented,” Anderson said at this year’s Awesome Con, adding: “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 fucking cool. It really is.”
“It’s something different. It’s not… It’s different, and it’s special, so – give it a break.”
Fans should do well to keep these words in mind, as you can imagine some of the hateful online discourse following the casting announcements. We’ll spare you the details, but a lot of social media takes cross the line into racist bile, considering the ethnicity of both actors.
The original show, which debuted in 1993, ran for nine seasons and spawned two movies (The X Files: Fight The Future and The X Files: I Want To Believe). The show returned for two brief season revivals in 2016 and 2018.
Danielle Deadwyler was in last year’s The Woman in the Yard and will be seen next in the dark comedy thriller The Saviors. As for Himesh Patel, he’ll soon be seen in Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey, playing Eurylochus – Odysseus’ second in command.
The X-Files is now in development. No release date has yet been announced.