While everyone’s currently busy swooning over Ryan Coogler’s new horror thriller “Sinners,” the filmmaker is out here gently tapping us on the shoulder, going, “Hey, remember The X-Files?” Yes, that reboot he teased ages ago? It’s still alive. Somehow. And apparently, it's now front and center on his creative to-do list.
Speaking on Last Podcast on the Left (via Screen Rant), Coogler confirmed that once the “Sinners” promo circus wraps up, he’s diving straight into Mulder and Scully territory—or whatever version of them emerges this time around.
“I’m working on X-Files. That’s what’s immediately next,” he said, sounding both exhausted and enthusiastic. “I’ve been hyped about it for a long time, and yeah, if we don’t mess it up, some of the episodes might just scare the crap out of people.” A bold promise, considering horror in reboots often lands somewhere between “mildly eerie” and “accidental comedy.”
Now, if you’re wondering what exactly Coogler’s version of The X-Files will look like, join the club. Details are scarce. What we do know is that Chris Carter, the original creator of the alien-hunting classic, once mentioned that Coogler plans to bring in a more diverse cast.
To be fair, fans might’ve assumed the project quietly died in development hell—especially since the last solid update came all the way back in 2021, when Coogler’s Proximity Media signed a deal with Disney. And in case you’ve blocked it out, the last time we saw Mulder and Scully together was in 2018. Yes, six years ago. Time moves fast when you’re not watching reboots.
Regardless of whether Mulder or Scully ever shows up again, Coogler has critics fawning over “Sinners” at the moment, and it might have a 40M+ opening weekend, which will translate to more studios reaching out to him, even though he’s currently under contract to helm “Black Panther 3,” which will probably end up shooting after his work on the X-Files reboot.
Coogler, a talented filmmaker, is coming off “Sinners,” and having directed two ‘Black Panther’ movies; his other directorial features have been “Creed,” and “Fruitvale Station.”