As fans of The X-Files are eagerly awaiting to see what Ryan Coogler has done with the franchise, series creator Chris Carter isn’t giving up on his vision for Mulder and Scully. The series returned in 2016 with two revival seasons, but, yet again, it ended on another unsatisfactory note.
However, Carter told THR that those divisive My Struggle episodes, which bookended each season, were all part of a bigger plan that he will finish telling if and when he gets a shot at another season.
While chatting with the outlet, Carter said he was aware and open to the criticism the revival seasons received. “I just took it on the chin. And I got criticism from someone important to the show who said that I didn’t give the audience what they wanted. I think I didn’t give the audience what they expected,” he said. “And that is left to come. There are four episodes and the last two reboots that were all part of a bigger plan that I hope to reveal to X-Files fans if and when we should do another reboot.“
He continued, “There’s a point at which you need to deliver on a promise. And I wanted to deliver more than the promise. I wanted to give them what they least expected. I know that sounds somewhat confusing, but I had a bigger plan and it all made sense. It will make sense, and so hang with me.“
The final episode revealed that Scully was pregnant once again, which Carter admitted was poorly received by fans. “Some people were horrified, outraged. They hated me. It was big,” he said. “And once again, as I say, this is taken on the chin because I have a bigger idea in mind. I think that time will tell.“
However, one of several factors standing in the way of another continuation is Coogler’s upcoming reboot of the series. “I don’t want to do anything to compete with that,” Carter said. “I don’t want to do anything to get in the way of that. I don’t want to play off of that. I want to continue to tell and finish the story arc that I have in mind. That said, I’m anxiously awaiting his version. My name is on it as executive producer, but I have done exactly nothing. I am, like everyone else out there, excited about what it may be.“
As a life-long fan of The X-Files, I must admit that I’m curious about what Carter has in mind, but I’m not overly optimistic that he’ll get the chance to explore it. In addition to Coogler’s reboot, there’s also the matter of Gillian Anderson saying she’s done with the franchise.
Coogler wrote and directed the reboot pilot, which stars Danielle Deadwyler (The Piano Lesson) and Himesh Patel (Yesterday) as two highly decorated but vastly different FBI agents who form an unlikely bond when they are assigned to a long-shuttered division devoted to cases involving unexplained phenomena. The project hasn’t yet received a series order.
The pilot also boasts an impressive guest cast, including Amy Madigan (Weapons), Steve Buscemi (Reservoir Dogs), Ben Foster (Hell or High Water), Devery Jacobs (Reservation Dogs), Lochlyn Munro (Freddy vs. Jason), Tantoo Cardinal (Dances with Wolves), Joel D. Montgrand (Avatar: The Last Airbender), and Sofia Grace Clifton (Station 19).
A new R-rated director’s cut of The X-Files: I Want To Believe, which now carries the subtitle Vrach Frankenshteyn, is set to debut on Hulu on August 14. Unfortunately, it doesn’t seem like a worthwhile reinvention of the film. In his review, our own Alex Maidy said, “I Want To Believe was always a mediocre movie and an underwhelming entry in the franchise, this new edition somehow makes it worse.” Yikes.
Would you like to see Chris Carter return to The X-Files to conclude his story, or is it time to move on to fresh mysteries?