Ryan Coogler reportedly goes full 65mm for The X-Files reboot

Here we go again with another reboot, but this one's actually caught my attention. Ryan Coogler, the bloke behind 'Black Panther' and 'Creed', has been quietly beavering away on a new take on The X-Files. He's wrapped the pilot earlier this month, and there's a big filmmaking twist: it was reportedly shot entirely on 65mm film. Yes, film—not digital, not even 35mm, but the full-on big screen stuff. For telly. Sometimes you just have to appreciate that kind of madness.

Wait, TV on 65mm Film?

This is where things get properly interesting for the film nerds. Shooting a TV series on 65mm is almost unheard of. To put it in perspective, 'Euphoria' season three was hyped as the first narrative TV series to really go for it with 65mm – or at least a 'significant volume' of it, according to HBO. That said, even in 'Euphoria', plenty was still done on the more standard 35mm stock. Whether Coogler's X-Files would keep this up for an entire series is anyone's guess, given the cost and faff level involved.

The person behind the lens is no slouch, either—Autumn Durald Arkapaw, who actually won the Oscar for 'Sinners'. Getting her for TV is a bit of a coup. This show could end up looking more expensive (and probably is) than half the films making it into cinemas these days.

What Exactly Is This New X-Files?

Right, onto the meat of it. Coogler has written and directed the pilot. The new central pairing is Danielle Deadwyler ('The Piano Lesson') and Himesh Patel ('Yesterday'), both playing FBI agents with plenty of medals but wildly different personalities. They're thrown together to dig into what sounds like a re-opened X-Files division—basically, more weird science and government spookiness. Fair to say it's not reinventing the wheel premise-wise, but the talent is promising.

Patel, who’s obviously towing the usual NDA-heavy line, offered a little non-committal insight:

'I really can’t tell you much with regards to anything other than it’s just a pilot, for now. We shot a pilot, we’ll see what happens, but I had a great time, and everyone was great to work with, and I’m keeping my fingers crossed.'

The guest star roster is no joke, either. Here's who pops up in the pilot:

• Amy Madigan ('Weapons')
• Steve Buscemi ('Reservoir Dogs')
• Ben Foster ('Hell or High Water')
• Devery Jacobs ('Reservation Dogs')
• Lochlyn Munro ('Freddy vs. Jason')
• Tantoo Cardinal ('Dances with Wolves')
• Joel D. Montgrand ('Avatar: The Last Airbender')
• Sofia Grace Clifton ('Station 19')

Are Duchovny and Anderson Coming Back?

The big question for veteran X-Files fans is whether David Duchovny or Gillian Anderson would be involved. To be fair, nobody's saying this even shares the same universe as the original. Still, there have been conversations.

Coogler apparently spoke with Anderson pretty early and hinted she might pop up if things work out:

'She’s incredible, and fingers-crossed there. When I spoke to her, she was finishing [Tron: Ares] up. But, yeah, we’re gonna try to make something really great… and really be something for the real X-Files fans, you know what I’m saying? And, maybe, find some new ones.'

For her part, Anderson called the pilot script 'really good' and said she was hopeful about where it's all heading.

As for Duchovny, he's not read the script, but he has chatted with Coogler and knows the broad strokes. When pressed about whether he'd show up, all he offered was, 'There have been talks about certain things, but there’s nothing concrete at this point.'