TV is definitely living in an era of nostalgic reboots and revivals: from That 90’s Show back Asthon Kutcher and Mila Kunis, to the new remakes of Fatal Attraction and Dead Ringers coming later this year, revisiting the past is all the rage these days. The next classic franchise to be getting the reboot treatment on TV is the cult 90s sci-fi series The X Files, with Chris Carter, the show’s original creator, announcing that a retooled version is on the way.

The X Files became a pop culture phenomenon, centring on two FBI agents looking into unexplainable cases. It’s been revived several times since it began in 1993, along with spin offs and two films, but this new version is set to be a full on reboot and have an entirely new cast. Gillian Anderson and David Duchovny both made their names on the original series, and its not known whether the iconic Mulder and Scully will be returning with new actors playing them or if this X Files will focus on entirely different extra-terrestrial investigators. Remaking such an iconic franchise is a tall task- but Carter revealed that Ryan Coogler, the Oscar nominated director of Creed and both Black Panther films, is the one who’s taking the reins, so that’s certainly a good start.

If you’re itching to get back into the world of conspiracies and the paranormal though, you’ll have some time to wait- while Carter spoke on the On the Coast with Gloria Macarenko podcast about the early details, the show hasn’t yet been officially announced by 20th Cenutry Fox (now owned by Disney), so the actual release date is a way off yet. But the studio has been keen to get the X Files back on our screens again, and since the show already “covered so much territory”, a reboot seems like the most option. The creator also mentioned that the new show is also set to have a more diverse cast, and will bring the series firmly into the 2020s for the streaming age. The themes of the original series seem to be more relevant the ever: since the last season of X-Files aired in 2018, Carter said, conspiracies and distrusting governments have only become more prevalent- and so a different approach may need to be found.

It certainly sounds like the reboot is in for a pretty big reimaging in order to keep it fresh, but with talent like Coolger onboard and the support of the show’s creator it looks to be as thrilling as ever- even if it may not have Mulder and Scully. We’ll keep you up to date with further news and announcements, but for now it’s time to start believing again…

Culture, Films & TV

Want to receive more great articles like this every day? Join our daily email now