MOVIE NEWS – Director Ryan Coogler has been quietly developing a reboot of The X-Files, hinting that he might like to bring back some of the original cast, but stopping short of confirming anything. Now Gillian Anderson – the actress forever linked to Dana Scully – has finally addressed the idea of returning, and her latest comments, given while promoting the Netflix western series The Abandons, suggest fans should not be counting on her just yet.

Coogler, who is currently attached to the mystery project Sinners, has made it clear he wants to reimagine The X-Files for a new generation. While he has implied that legacy cast members could, in theory, have a place in his version of the show, there has never been anything like an official announcement. Inevitably, attention turned to Gillian Anderson, whose performance as Dana Scully helped define ’90s genre television—and whose potential return has been the subject of constant speculation.

Speaking to Screen Rant during the press tour for The Abandons, Anderson revisited her earlier, more open-ended remarks about the reboot. Earlier this year, she had floated the possibility of a comeback by saying that “if the phone rings, and it’s good, and it feels like the right time, perhaps [I’ll return].” That quote gave fans something to cling to. However, her latest update is far less encouraging and makes it sound like nothing concrete is happening behind the scenes.

Asked where things stand now, Anderson was blunt: “I have not had those conversations or those thoughts. I talked to Ryan Coogler a while back to be told that he was [making the show], and that’s kind of where it was. I have no idea where they are, or if it’s at. There’s a big difference between [that and] thinking about it.” In other words, beyond a courtesy conversation with Coogler, there have been no deals, no talks, and no serious planning around Scully’s return.

The original X-Files ran for nine seasons from 1993 to 2001, before returning in 2016 for a revival that ultimately brought the total to eleven seasons. Across that span, audiences followed FBI agents Fox Mulder and Dana Scully as they chased conspiracies, monsters, and the elusive “truth” behind the paranormal. The show also spawned two feature films, released in 1998 and 2008, cementing Mulder and Scully as one of television’s most iconic duos.

On paper, a reboot of the ’90s sci-fi horror classic could work without its original leads. Fresh characters and a new dynamic might bring something different to the franchise. But there is no denying that a huge part of the show’s appeal came from the chemistry between Scully and Mulder. Chris Carter’s writing and the show’s mythology were important, yet viewers kept coming back week after week because of the way those two characters played off each other. Very few TV partnerships can match that kind of resonance.

Still, there are reasons to be cautiously optimistic. Coogler has already proven he can blend genre thrills with strong character work, and there’s every chance he could cast two new leads who work for modern audiences while honoring the spirit of the original. If he chose to bring back classic characters, the project would tilt towards a sequel rather than a clean reboot, and rumor has it he has at least considered recasting Scully with Danielle Deadwyler. If that’s the direction he ultimately takes, he’ll also need to find her Mulder counterpart—unless his vision shifts toward following a single FBI agent in search of the truth.

For now, though, everything remains in the realm of speculation. Coogler has shared very few details about his plans, beyond the fact that he is a fan and wants to capture what made the original series special. With The X-Files now under Disney’s umbrella, the only real plea from longtime followers is that the scares not be watered down in an effort to chase the broadest possible audience. The show has always been at its best when it leans into the unsettling, the relentless, and the genuinely terrifying.

Source: MovieWeb