Interest in The X-Files has been high in recent months, ever since Fox announced that the popular nineties and early 2000s drama might go the way of 24 and get reworked for a limited series run. Now, it seems that audiences are even closer to an X-Files return. A recent profile on lead actress Gillian Anderson confirmed that the actress is already in talks for the new project and that Fox even has an episode order and start date in mind.
Reports indicate that both former X-Files leads, Gillian Anderson and David Duchovny, are in talks to return for Fox’s potential limited drama. In addition, if negotiations hold steady, The Daily Mail is reporting that six episodes will be produced for the new season. If talks work out, Anderson and Duchovny won’t be the only ones asked to return for the new incarnation of the show. In fact, writers who worked on the original program are also being asked to return for the X-Files.
Obviously, contracts have not been wholly negotiated, yet, but The X-Files could be getting underway extremely quickly. It was only back in January that Fox executives acknowledged that the project was even in talks, and now an episode order and production start date are already being considered. If Anderson and Duchovny both say yes, Fox is currently eyeing a June production date, which means we might even get new episodes next TV season.
All of this, of course, hinges on Anderson and Duchovny returning. It wouldn’t exactly be The X-Files without Mulder and Scully, and everyone involved with the potential project seems to understand this. Still, things are looking pretty promising. In fact, Duchovny has already spoken out to say that he would be interested in filming a limited series based on the supernatural drama that made him a household name.
So, the good news is that The X-Files reboot actually looks as if it will get off of the ground. The bad news is that it might not be as lengthy as 24: Live Another Day, the new version of the wildly successful 24, starring Kiefer Sutherland. 24: Live Another Day actually got 12 episodes when it was remade, while The X-Files might get half that. If Kiefer Sutherland’s Jack Bauer can still raid ships and get up to crazy amounts of action for 12 episodes, I have no doubt that Scully and Mulder could get up to some shenanigans for a similar number of episodes. However, if it ends up being six episodes, I’ll still take it.
We’ll keep you updated as The X-Files project continues to move forward at Fox.
