When it comes to this year's long-awaited return of The X-Files, the only real truth out there is that it was far too short and far too jumbled, though the majority of fans still found much to get giddy about. The sci-fi hit has no plan in place to return for more episodes, and the way Gillian Anderson is talking, Fox had better start making some big decisions quick, otherwise she's making no Scully-proof guarantees. Here's what the actress said about a potential eleventh season.
I'm open to the conversation, though they haven't come to us yet. I have no clue when they're going to. I'm getting on with the rest of my life and I'm booking other jobs, so if it is indeed something that they would like to continue, then that conversation will need to be had. And I have no idea when that will be able to take place at this juncture.
Is it just me, or does it not sound like Gillian Anderson spoke those words while jabbing a pushpin into a doll's eye? Probably not the case, but that's about as forcefully as you can declare something without sarcasm or snark watering it down. Anderson is laying it out there that she will not simply put the rest of her life on hold just for The X-Files, since she has plenty of other projects to keep her busy these days, including The Fall and American Gods.
If you listen to Fox, though, network exec Dana Walden said that conversations were had with both stars, along with creator Chris Carter, and that she thought everyone was down with another round. But Gillian Anderson's comments to Deadline present a very different picture, and co-star David Duchovny didn't speak up to say that he'd talked to anyone either.
This isn't the first time Anderson is making veiled ultimatums to Fox about another X-Files season, as she'd previously made it very clear that she would not displace herself from her London home for an extended production schedule in New York or Vancouver. The bottom line of that meant that she would make the voyage if the episode order and the amount of money offered both pleased her. (Duchovny is down for a change in episode count, too.) The initial deal Fox offered her for this return did not win her over in the least, so everyone at the network had better think carefully about how they'd like to proceed as far as locking Anderson down.
Considering The X-Files was the most-watched new show of the year so far - and yes, I think anything returning to the air after over a decade counts as "new" - Fox should be throwing money and attention at everyone involved with the sci-fi hit. And time is of the essence.
