Amid all the vampire hubbub surrounding Ryan Coogler‘s new vampire thriller Sinners, starring Michael B. Jordan, the director wants to remind folks that his long-teased X-Files reboot is still on his to-do list. It’s at the very top of that list, in fact.
Speaking on a recent episode of Last Podcast on the Left (via Screen Rant), Coogler said he plans to hit the ground running, working on The X-Files once the dust has settled from his Sinners press tour.
“I’m working on X-Files. That’s what’s immediately next,” Coogler said. “So, I’ve been excited about that for a long time, and I’m fired up to get back to it, and that, you know, some of those episodes, if we do our jobs right, will be really fucking scary.”
While not much is known about what Coogler’s take on the iconic sci-fi series will be, show creator Chris Carter previously said the Black Panther director plans to remount The X-Files with a diverse cast.
Since the first major update on the project came in 2021, when Coogler’s production company, Proximity, inked a five-year deal to create television content for Disney’s networks and streaming platforms, it’s understandable that fans might have assumed the reboot had quietly faded away. And if you need another reminder of how fast time flies, the last time The X-Files revival brought Agents Dana Scully and Fox Mulder back to our screens was all the way back in 2018.
While Gillian Anderson has gone on record as not being super interested in yet another round playing the series’ resident skeptic, she has also expressed she wouldn’t say no to returning to a series helmed by Coogler, whom she described as “a bit of a genius” in a 2024 appearance on the Today show.
“Whether I am involved in it is a whole other thing. I’m not saying no. I think he’s really cool and I think if he did it, it would probably be done incredibly well,” Anderson said at the time. “And maybe I’ll pop in for a little something something.”
When asked if X-Files fans could hope for Gillian Anderson’s return, after her character’s less-than-ideal treatment in the revival, Ryan Coogler didn’t make any promises. Instead, he shared his excitement for her upcoming sci-fi role in Tron: Ares. Still, he left fans with a sliver of hope on the front.
“I’ve spoken to the great Gillian,” Coogler told Last Podcast on the Left. “She’s incredible. Fingers crossed there … When I spoke to her, she was finishing [Tron: Ares] up. But, yeah, but we’re gonna try to make something really great … and really be something for the real X-Files fans, you know what I’m saying? And, maybe, find some new ones.”
Regardless of whether Scully returns, Coogler is bound to deliver something compelling with The X-Files. His knack for putting a fresh spin on familiar tales—whether it’s Marvel superheroes or the timeless allure of sexy vampires—speaks for itself.
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