The X-Files Creator Addresses Getting More Mulder and Scully Adventures

The X-Files creator Chris Carter first brought back the series for new episodes in 2016 and then delivered another season in 2018, with the filmmaker revealing that he’d be open to exploring more adventures in the world of paranormal investigating if stars David Duchovny and Gillian Anderson were interested in returning. With nearly six years having passed and there having been no momentum on more episodes, along with Anderson distancing herself from the franchise, this would make such a possibility unlikely, though it might come as a relief that Carter is seemingly uninterested unless the original stars were involved. Black Panther director Ryan Coogler is currently developing a new take on the concept.

When asked by TheWrap if he would be interested in another season, Carter admitted, “Oh, if David and Gillian wanted to do it again. Yeah, probably, then I would be inspired.”

The series debuted in 1993, a time in which the public was growing more interested in things like UFOs, aliens, crop circles, and all things paranormal. The tech-forward concept also coincided with public access to the Internet, making a perfect storm of a compelling sci-fi series that reflected the niche interests of its audience. The series grew so popular that, between Seasons 5 and 6, the movie The X-Files: Fight the Future hit the big screen.

In Season 7, Duchovny left the series and Robert Patrick joined the fray as John Doggett, though Duchovny’s Mulder would ultimately return for episodes in its ninth and final season. The X-Files series finale aired in May of 2002, yet earned another feature film in 2008. Both Duchovny and Anderson starred in that film, while also starring in its two revival seasons.

When looking back on the project, Carter confirms that it was the chemistry between Duchovny and Anderson that solidified its legacy.

“People ask the reasons for its success and the answer I give to them is David and Gillian,” Carter detailed. “If it weren’t for that relationship, and the actors who portrayed Mulder and Scully, the show would not have been the hit it became.”

The Season 11 finale revealed to audiences that Scully’s son William, who we were led to believe was also Mulder’s son, was actually the result of Scully having been drugged and impregnated by the Cigarette-Smoking Man, disappointing not only longtime viewers, but even Anderson herself. Back in 2022, she expressed how she had moved passed the series and would only be somewhat interested if the material was approached by a fresh set of filmmakers. 

“It just feels like such an old idea. I’ve done it, I did it for so many years, and it also ended on such an unfortunate note,” Anderson shared with Variety at the time. “In order to even begin to have that conversation [about another season] there would need to be a whole new set of writers and the baton would need to be handed on for it to feel like it was new and progressive. So yeah, it’s very much in the past.”  

Stay tuned for updates on the future of The X-Files.

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