Disney is reportedly in the process of creating a fresh adaptation of The X-Files, with plans for production led by Ryan Coogler, the acclaimed director of Black Panther and Creed.
As of now, Disney has yet to officially confirm the new series but it is likely the series would be exclusive to Disney+ with Coogler on board. The news comes from Bloomberg as they were discussing franchises on streaming.
The original television series aired from September 1993 to May 2002 on Fox. During its original run, the program spanned nine seasons, with 202 episodes. A short tenth season consisting of six episodes ran from January to February 2016. Following the ratings success of this revival, The X-Files returned for an eleventh season of ten episodes, which ran from January to March 2018. In addition to the television series, two feature films have been released: The 1998 film The X-Files and the stand-alone film The X-Files: I Want to Believe, released in 2008, six years after the original television run had ended.
The series revolves around Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Special Agents Fox Mulder (David Duchovny) and Dana Scully (Gillian Anderson), who investigate the eponymous “X-Files”: marginalized, unsolved cases involving paranormal phenomena. Mulder is a skilled criminal profiler, an ardent supernaturalist, and a conspiracy theorist who believes in the existence of the paranormal, whereas Scully is a medical doctor and a skeptic who has been assigned to scientifically analyze Mulder’s discoveries. Early in the series, both agents become pawns in a larger conflict and come to trust only each other and a few select people. The agents also discover an agenda of the government to keep secret the existence of extraterrestrial life. Mulder and Scully’s shared adventures lead them to develop a close platonic bond, which by series’ end develops into a romantic relationship. Roughly one third of the series’ episodes follow a complex mythopoeia-driven story arc about a planned alien invasion, whereas the other two-thirds are “monster of the week” episodes that each focus on a one-off villain, mutant, or monster.
The X-Files achieved success on the Fox network, garnering predominantly positive reviews despite criticism of its long-term story arc towards the end. Originally classified as a cult series, it evolved into a significant pop culture phenomenon, resonating with public skepticism towards governments and large institutions while exploring conspiracy theories and spirituality. Both the show and its lead actors, Duchovny and Anderson, earned numerous awards and nominations. By its conclusion, The X-Files held the distinction of being the longest-running science fiction series in U.S. television history. Additionally, the series spawned a franchise, including spin-offs like Millennium and The Lone Gunmen, two theatrical films, and associated merchandise.
