The X-Files Creator Reacts To Ryan Coogler's Reboot Filming Wrap As Future Waits In Limbo
Robert Falconer/ 20th Century Fox Film Corp.EXCLUSIVE: Ryan Coogler's The X-Files reboot wrapped its pilot, and Chris Carter couldn't be more excited.
Development on a new iteration of the hit sci-fi franchise kicked off in early 2023, with Hulu later coming onboard with a pilot greenlight, which the Sinners filmmaker is writing and directing, while See's Jennifer Yale is set to be showrunner. Carry-On's Danielle Deadwyler and The Odyssey's Himesh Patel are set to lead the cast as the new central FBI duo, with early plot details indicating they are reopening the eponymous division after it had been shuttered for some time.
Now, in an interview with ScreenRant's Grant Hermanns for his R-rated director's cut, The X-Files: I Want to Believe — Vrach Frankenshteyn, Chris Carter has weighed in on Coogler's reboot pilot having wrapped filming. The original franchise creator revealed that Coogler has not shown him anything from the new production, though also said that he's "glad that he hasn't":
Chris Carter: He's a once-in-a-lifetime filmmaker, and I want to see what he's [made]. He said it's his mom's favorite show, and I want to see what he's done for his mom.
It shouldn't come as too much of a surprise that Carter hasn't seen any of the footage or final product yet for Coogler's X-Files reboot. The franchise creator has frequently expressed a desire to remain largely out of the creative process on the new series, wanting to be just as surprised as longtime fans of the show to see what the Oscar winner has in store with his new vision.
It's also worth noting that Carter has been plenty busy the past year putting his focus into the aforementioned The X-Files: I Want to Believe — Vrach Frankenshteyn. The upcoming Disney+ and Hulu title is a director's cut of the 2008 film, with Carter restoring his original horror vision for the story of David Duchovny's Mulder and Gillian Anderson's Scully investigating a series of abducted women, with a former priest claiming a psychic connection to them. After a delay from its initial June 2026 date, the new R-rated cut is now premiering on August 14.
Carter isn't the only one thrilled about Coogler's vision for the new X-Files reboot, either, having compared the creator to his work with Christopher Nolan on The Odyssey in the way he layered narrative and character texture into everything they did. Though having kept plot details completely under wraps, Patel shared that he, himself, was a believer, even without outright confirming whether his character also is in the way of Mulder.
Despite all of the positive groundswell for the new iteration, though, the fate of Coogler's X-Files reboot still remains unclear, as Hulu has yet to greenlight a full series order for the project. With it only being a month past filming wrap, it's very possible that Coogler is still at work on post-production for the pilot, looking to make it a proper blockbuster affair to bring the franchise back, and therefore hasn't shown it to the streamer yet. However, with the filmmaker also about to embark on proper work for Black Panther III, it does seem likely proper updates will come in the near future.