Ryan Coogler Discusses ‘X-Files’ Reboot, Teases Gillian Anderson’s Possible Involvement

Dana Scully could be returning to TV screens after all.

Ryan Coogler, fresh off the smashing box-office success of his new historical-drama-horror-musical Sinners, recently gave an update on his reboot of The X-Files while appearing on Last Podcast on the Left.

The writer/director said his version of the popular sci-fi series is “immediately next” on his plate, and that he’s already “spoken to the great Gillian Anderson” about a potential return. “She’s incredible. Fingers crossed there.”

Coogler shared his elation to be working on one of his favorite franchises, saying he’s been “excited for a long time.”

“I’m fired up to get back to it. Some of those episodes, if we do our jobs right, will be really f—ing scary,” he said. “We’re gonna try to make something really great, bro, and really be something for the real X-Files fans, and maybe find some new ones.”

The X-Files was a science-fiction mystery drama on Fox from 1993 to 2002, then again from 2016 to 2018. It centers around FBI agents Fox Mulder (David Duchovny) and Dana Scully (Anderson), who investigate cases dealing with supernatural or paranormal incidents. It was one of the most popular series of all time, and is still the longest-running sci-fi series in American TV history.

When Coogler’s reimagining of the series was announced, Anderson publicly stated on an episode of NBC’s Today show earlier this month that she “cannot think of a better way around for a reboot to happen,” and called Coogler “a bit of a genius.”

“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. And maybe I’ll pop in for a little something something,” the actress said.

There are currently no further details on Ryan Coogler’s update of The X-Files.