The X-Files Reboot: Duchovny's successor has been revealed
The lead actress had already been announced
"The X-Files" is coming back - and now David Duchovny's successor has also been confirmed. Himesh Patel will be the lead actor in the new series, as Deadline reports. Danielle Deadwyler was previously confirmed for the female lead role. Behind the reboot is star director Ryan Coogler, who has been toying with a return of "The X-Files" for some time.
So far, a pilot of the mystery series has been commissioned by the streaming service Hulu. "Sinners" director Coogler is set to direct and write the script. The start date has not yet been announced. It is also not yet known whether the "X-Files" pilot will be followed by a season. However, Jennifer Yale has already been hired for the position of showrunner. In the event of a sequel, she will probably be responsible for the creative direction alongside Coogler.
New X-Files, new investigative duo
As in the original, the new edition of "The X-Files" will also focus on an unlikely duo of two FBI agents. The highly decorated investigators are to take over a department that deals with unexplained phenomena - and was shut down a long time ago. Himesh Patel and Danielle Deadwyler are apparently the successors to Fox Mulder (David Duchovny) and Dana Scully (Gillian Anderson). However, despite the obvious parallels to the former protagonists, it is assumed that they will embody completely new characters.
Many will remember Himesh Patel from the 2019 Beatles comedy "Yesterday". He was most recently on board for the science fiction film "The Assessment". He will next be seen this July in Christopher Nolan's Homer adaptation "The Odyssey" alongside numerous stars such as Matt Damon, Tom Holland, Anne Hathaway, Zendaya and Robert Pattinson. Danielle Deadwyler is known from various TV series and films. In April, she can be seen in the third season of the coming-of-age series "Euphoria". In recent years, she has also starred in the film "Till" and the Netflix thriller "Carry-On".
Successful director Ryan Coogler
Ryan Coogler, one of Hollywood's hottest directors at the moment, is behind the "X-Files" remake. With his two "Black Panther" films, he has already proven that artistic ambition and commercial success go hand in hand. His Marvel blockbusters took in over two billion US dollars at the global box office. In addition, the first "Black Panther" part was the first superhero film to receive an Oscar nomination for best film. His vampire film "Sinners", on the other hand, made history with 16 nominations - no other film had ever been in the running for so many Oscars before. At this year's ceremony, "Sinners" finally won four Oscars, including the award for lead actor Michael B. Jordan and an award for Coogler's screenplay.
TV hit of the 90s: The X-Files
In addition to directing and writing, Coogler also takes on the role of executive producer for "The X-Files". Chris Carter, the creator of the original series, will also act as executive producer. With the alien expert Mulder and the skeptic Scully, he created one of the most iconic investigator duos in TV history in 1993. In any case, "The X-Files" is one of the most influential series of the 90s. The mix of FBI procedural, horror and sci-fi was dark, original and thrilling with excellent stand-alone episodes as well as a large-scale, albeit increasingly confused alien conspiracy, which contributed significantly to the series' fascination, at least in the early years.
The first nine seasons of "The X-Files" were broadcast from 1993 to 2002. With "The X-Files: Fight the Future" and "The X-Files: I Want to Believe" , two film sequels with Mulder and Scully were also released, which were shown in cinemas in 1998 and 2008 respectively. After the second movie, it was over for the time being. Until it continued with a tenth season in 2016. This was followed two years later by season eleven, the final season to date. It will be interesting to see whether the planned reboot will have a similarly long run.