Ryan Coogler's ‘The X-Files' Officially Picked Up to Series by Hulu

Hulu has officially picked up Ryan Coogler's "The X-Files" reboot to series, ending months of uncertainty over whether the two-hour pilot he shot this past spring would actually lead somewhere.

This wasn't a given. As I reported back in July, the series hadn't been greenlit when the pilot wrapped, and this came as Hulu had also recently passed on Chloé Zhao's "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" sequel, proof that an Oscar winner's name alone doesn't guarantee anything.

Clearly, whatever Coogler delivered convinced Hulu to order a full season, and what he delivered sounds unlike any TV pilot in recent memory.

Based on what I’ve heard, this ‘X-Files’ pilot plays like a movie. It was shot on 65mm film by his "Sinners" DP, Autumn Durald Arkapaw, fresh off her Oscar win. The only other scripted series to use 65mm is the third season of "Euphoria," which switched between 35mm and 65mm. Whether the rest of the series keeps that format is unknown, but I highly doubt it. It's an expensive way to make television, and Coogler isn't running the show day-to-day. Jennifer Yale ("The Copenhagen Test") is the showrunner.

Danielle Deadwyler and Himesh Patel lead the cast as two decorated but very different FBI agents assigned to a long-dormant division handling unexplained cases. These are new characters, not recast versions of Mulder and Scully. The pilot also features Amy Madigan, Steve Buscemi, Ben Foster, Devery Jacobs, Tantoo Cardinal and Lochlyn Munro.

Based on previous reports, Gillian Anderson spoke with Coogler about the project and has read the pilot script. I guess I can mention this now, so SPOILERS AHEAD: what I've heard is that David Duchovny's Mulder and Anderson's Scully do, in fact, show up in the pilot.

Since the pickup is still fresh and an entire season now needs to be shot, no release date has been announced for Coogler's “X-Files.” Another director, or directors, will obviously be hired to helm the remaining episodes, as Coogler will be busy shooting “Black Panther 3” early next year.