With “Sinners” now in theaters, Ryan Coogler is turning his attention back to his “X-Files” series reboot.
“I’ve been excited about that for a long time and I’m fired up to get back to it,” Coogler said during a recent interview with “Last Podcast on the Left,” confirming that that project is “immediately next” on his slate. “Some of those episodes, if we do our jobs right, will be really fucking scary.”
Coogler was first reported to be developing an “X-Files” series back in 2023, when series creator and showrunner Chris Carter confirmed that the two have had conversations about remounting the supernatural detecivde drama, which starred David Duchovny and Gillian Anderson as FBI agents Fox Mulder and Dana Scully, who were assigned to investigate reports of paranormal activity.
“The X-Files,” originally produced by 20th Century Fox Television, aired on Fox for nine seasons from 1993 to 2001, before being revived at the network for two more rounds in 2016 and 2018. Coogler is developing the revival idea through his overall deal with Walt Disney Television.
Asked if he’s touched base with Anderson, Coogler confirms the two have spoken. “She’s incredible and fingers crossed there,” he said, explaining that Anderson was finishing up work on “Tron: Ares” the last time they talked. “We’re going to try to make something really great, bro, and make something for the real ‘X-Files’ fans and maybe find some new ones.”
Over the past dozen years, Coogler has proven to be a master of breathing new life into established IP. First, he rebooted the “Rocky” franchise with 2015’s “Creed.” Then, he adapted Marvel’s “Black Panther” comics into one of the MCU’s most critically-acclaimed franchises, with both the 2018 original and its 2022 sequel, “Wakanda Forever,” earning multiple Academy Award nominations.
“Sinners” is Coogler’s first wholly original premise. The R-rated vampire thriller has proven to be an early hit with critics and audiences, earning $4.7 million in previews on the way to a projected $40 million to $50 million opening weekend.
