After eight years, The X-Files is back for season 12

Well, here’s one for the sci-fi obsessives (and let's face it, half the telly-watching world grew up with it): The X-Files is having another go, and it’s not just your average dusted-off reboot. You’ve got Ryan Coogler – yes, the bloke behind Black Panther – steering the ship this time, and both a new series and a revamped film in the works. Plus, it looks like some familiar FBI faces are about to drop back in, whether you’ve begged for it or not.

Coogler’s Take: Not Quite a Reboot

The big question is whether Coogler’s version is a proper fresh start or just rolling straight on from where Mulder and Scully left off, badly bruised (and arguably running out of conspiracies) back in 2018. At first, details were tighter than a government cover-up: Coogler wrote and directed the pilot episode for Hulu, with Jennifer Yale running the show, and Danielle Deadwyler and Himesh Patel as the new FBI duo chasing weirdness. What we didn’t know: is this a reimagining, or is Mulder still out there on his mobile, brooding about the truth?

Now some things are coming into focus thanks to series creator Chris Carter. Carter’s not just idling about, either – he’s executive producing and apparently consulting on all these new goings-on. This week he let slip something big: turns out, at least half of the legendary partnership is definitely showing up in Coogler’s new series.

When Carter was pressed on Polygon about whether the classic stars would be back, here’s the answer he coughed up:

At least Gillian, I think, is going to appear in the Coogler version. And I'm assuming David will too, so you will see Mulder and Scully there.

That’s Gillian Anderson (Scully herself) pretty much confirmed to return, which means Coogler isn’t doing some parallel-universe lark – this is set dead in the main X-Files continuity. The door’s apparently still open for David Duchovny to shuffle back in as Mulder too, even if Carter’s hedging his bets on timing. The vibe is clear: instead of a total reset, Coogler is making what amounts to Season 12.

Coogler's X-Files brings back at least one half of the iconic Mulder and Scully team, officially connecting the reboot to the original series timeline.

Legacy, Plot Gaps, and the Film Tweak

Anderson being in the mix isn’t just nostalgic box-ticking. If Scully’s turning up, that pretty much cements this as a legacy sequel, not some separate reinterpretation. It also opens the door for a lot of ‘where are they now’ business, and possibly a chance to sort out the mess that was the last series finale (which, in 2018, left fans with more questions than answers – cheers for that).

• Ryan Coogler: Directing and writing the pilot, producing overall
• Jennifer Yale: Showrunner (brought us The Copenhagen Test)
• Danielle Deadwyler & Himesh Patel: Leading as the new FBI pair
• Chris Carter: Advising from the old guard, plus executive producing

Meanwhile, there’s another project brewing: Carter’s getting his hands on his own director’s cut of the 2008 film The X-Files: I Want To Believe. Rebranded (maybe worryingly?) as Vrach Frankenshteyn, this new R-rated edit will reportedly allow Carter to finally piece together the darker version he’d always wanted. Let’s be honest, the original film didn’t blow the doors off – ask any X-Phile – so Carter’s having a second swing.

Bottom line, Coogler’s version is more of a passing-the-torch deal, with the possibility of Anderson doing more than a blink-and-you-miss-it cameo – and if they rope in her character’s estranged son William, expect to see a lot more Scully. Whether Duchovny properly joins in or just hovers in the wings is still up for grabs, but according to Carter, the odds are decent.