The X-Files ran for nine seasons on Fox, produced two theatrical films, and returned for two additional revival seasons, making it one of the most durable sci-fi franchises in television history. However, the two revival seasons, which reunited stars David Duchovny and Gillian Anderson with creator Chris Carter, received a mixed reception that left the show’s legacy in a complicated place. That is the challenge Ryan Coogler is now inheriting as he helms a reboot of The X-Files series. That said, while bringing The X-Files back without its iconic leads is a massive gamble, Coogler has bought enough good faith in Hollywood thanks to an impeccable filmography that includes Creed, Black Panther, and Sinners, the latter for which he won the Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay.
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Coogler writes and directs the pilot of The X-Files reboot himself, bringing several Sinners collaborators with him, including cinematographer Autumn Durald Arkapaw and casting director Francine Maisler. Showrunner Jennifer Yale (The Copenhagen Test) will oversee the series going forward, while Carter returns as executive producer alongside Coogler’s Proximity Media banner. The pilot already began filming in Vancouver, the same city where the original series shot its early seasons, which means we finally know who will be featured in front of the cameras.
10) Sofia Grace Clifton
Sofia Grace Clifton recently appeared in The Muppets Mayhem and Station 19. As a rising star, her inclusion in The X-Files adds fresh talent to an otherwise veteran-heavy roster. Industry casting grids suggest the reboot’s pilot involves an investigation connected to Indigenous communities and a missing woman tied to a young girl. If the pilot indeed follows this story, Clifton could take the role of the young girl.
9) Lochlyn Munro
Lochlyn Munro is a prolific character actor with a massive resume spanning decades, including memorable appearances in Scary Movie, Freddy vs. Jason, and White Chicks. Television audiences also know him primarily from his lengthy recurring run as Hal Cooper, the Black Hood serial killer, on The CW’s teen drama Riverdale. More recently, Munro was part of James Gunn’s Peacemaker, where he played the role of police officer Larry Fitzgibbon. Munro is listed as a guest star in The X-Files reboot, but his actual role remains unknown.
8) Joel D. Montgrand
Joel D. Montgrand is a Rocky Cree actor who recently delivered a standout performance as Eddie Qavvik in HBO’s True Detective: Night Country. His growing filmography also includes playing Hakoda in Netflix’s live-action Avatar: The Last Airbender series and Kania’tariio in the award-winning film Beans, alongside guest appearances in DC’s Legends of Tomorrow and Altered Carbon. Montgrand’s guest role in the X-Files reboot was not disclosed, but industry reports indicated that the pilot episode features a Bureau of Indian Affairs officer, a role that would fit the actor’s recent performances.
7) Tantoo Cardinal
Tantoo Cardinal is one of the most significant Indigenous actresses in the history of Hollywood, with a career spanning five decades and more than 130 credits across both film and television. Her feature filmography includes Dances with Wolves, Legends of the Fall, Wind River, and her most recent major role in Martin Scorsese’s Killers of the Flower Moon. On television, Cardinal has appeared as recurring character Sue Lynn Blackbird in ABC’s Stumptown, in the Amazon prestige drama 3 Pines, in the Marvel series Echo, and in the final season of Netflix’s live-action Avatar: The Last Airbender. Cardinal’s consistent presence in narratives centered on Indigenous communities gives weight to the industry reports about The X-Files reboot plot.
6) Devery Jacobs
Devery Jacobs blew up in Hollywood thanks to the comedy series Reservation Dogs, the Sterlin Harjo and Taika Waititi co-created drama that ran for three seasons and earned her two Critics’ Choice Award nominations and a Gotham Award nomination for her performance as Elora Danan. Beyond Reservation Dogs, Jacobs also appeared in the Marvel series Echo. Jacobs is yet another Indigenous actress cast in a mysterious role for the X-Files reboot.
5) Ben Foster
Ben Foster has sustained one of the most consistent critical track records of any American film actor working in supporting and ensemble roles over the past two decades, anchored by an Independent Spirit Award for Hell or High Water alongside Chris Pine and Jeff Bridges, and an Emmy Award for his performance as a potentially violent teenager in the Showtime film Bang Bang You’re Dead. His filmography also includes 3:10 to Yuma, Lone Survivor, Leave No Trace, and Emancipation, and his most recent work includes the boxing drama Christy, in which he appeared opposite Sydney Sweeney as legendary fighter Christy Martin, and the IFC film Motor City, which premiered at the Venice Film Festival.
4) Steve Buscemi
Over four decades, Steve Buscemi established himself as one of the most compelling character actors in American cinema, with a gallery of work that includes the Coen brothers’ Fargo and The Big Lebowski, a Daytime Emmy Award for the web series Park Bench with Steve Buscemi, and five seasons as Atlantic City political boss Nucky Thompson in HBO’s Boardwalk Empire. More recently, Buscemi appeared in the second season of Netflix’s Wednesday and is in production on Martin McDonagh’s Wild Horses Nine for Searchlight alongside John Malkovich and Sam Rockwell. His role in the X-Files pilot has not been announced, and no character description has been released. All we know is that Buscemi is a guest star, meaning he likely appears in a single episode.
3) Amy Madigan
Amy Madigan enters the X-Files reboot production riding a massive wave of industry acclaim, having recently won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for her terrifying turn as Aunt Gladys in the horror film Weapons. The win made Madigan, at 75, the second-oldest recipient of the supporting actress prize in Oscar history, and it came 40 years after her first nomination for the 1985 film Twice in a Lifetime, a gap between nominations that set another Academy record. Her role in the X-Files pilot has not been disclosed, but Coogler’s placing one of the most acclaimed active horror actresses in American film at the center of a paranormal investigation series suggests he intends to play with the audience’s expectations.
2) Himesh Patel
Himesh Patel steps into the massive void left by David Duchovny, tasked with establishing a completely new leading dynamic for The X-Files reboot. The British actor steadily built an impressive resume with projects like Tenet, Yesterday, and the acclaimed post-apocalyptic miniseries Station Eleven, and he is set to appear in Christopher Nolan’s upcoming The Odyssey. In the reboot, Patel plays one of two new FBI agents assigned to the bureau’s long-shuttered division investigating unexplained phenomena, a character confirmed to be an entirely original creation rather than a reimagining of Fox Mulder. Both Patel and co-star Danielle Deadwyler serve as executive producers on the pilot, which means their investment in the project extends well beyond performance.
1) Danielle Deadwyler
Danielle Deadwyler has earned SAG Award and BAFTA nominations for her performance as Mamie Till-Mobley in Till and a subsequent SAG Award nomination for The Piano Lesson. More recently, she starred in The Woman in the Yard and appeared in the Netflix action film Carry-On. She was also the first star confirmed for the reboot, a full month before Patel was announced. Instead of playing a reworked Dana Scully, Deadwyler is confirmed to take a new role written specifically for the reboot.
Which confirmed cast member are you most excited to see in Ryan Coogler’s The X-Files reboot? Leave a comment below and join the conversation now in the ComicBook Forum!
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