back to article This could be a case for Mulder and Scully: Fox 'in talks' to bring back The X-Files

Chris Carter's cult, '90s telly classic The X-Files could be set for a return to the small screen, after the Fox network confirmed it was in talks to hit reboot on the drama series. Original cast members David Duchovny and Gillian Anderson are expected to reprise their roles as FBI special agents Mulder & Scully in the popular …

  1. chivo243 Silver badge
    Go

    I'd rather see another Chris Carter series

    A Millenium reboot. Frank Black as an old man, his daughter cursed with his gift keeping terrorism at bay.

    1. Steve Crook

      Re: I'd rather see another Chris Carter series

      I'd vote for that too. The one condition for an X-Files reboot would be new cast and a proper story rather than the shaggy dog nonsense we were stuck with first time round.

      Perhaps they could get together with David Lynch and merge with Twin Peaks?

      But really, I'm still waiting for a new series of Blakes 7...

      1. Anonymous Coward
        Anonymous Coward

        Re: I'd rather see another Chris Carter series

        Ah, Twin Peaks.

        I loved that show, I could watch the sawmill blade sharpening scene in the opening credits over and over again.

        Not sure what the rest of the programme was like, but that blade sharpening sequence, awesome!

        1. Anonymous Coward
          Anonymous Coward

          Re: I'd rather see another Chris Carter series

          "Perhaps they could get together with David Lynch and merge with Twin Peaks?"

          While I thought the original paradigm of the show as somewhat "theatrically dry" for TV, I think this would do very well today. You might want to keep David Lynch on the burner though, he might cook the plot a little too much. That said, while I admire your "WTF" that comes with wanting Lynch, I'd rather see an all out "WTF!?!?" with someone like David Lynch _AND_ Hunter S. Thompson (R.I.P.). You get 2 types like that together, you have a new Twilight Zone (with questionable threads of coherency).

          However, EVERYONE will probably be let down, and the new opening title screen will read "Directed, Written, Starring, Edited and Co-Starring by M. Night Shyamalan". You'd think that would be insane...you'd think.

          1. Rich83

            Re: I'd rather see another Chris Carter series

            http://www.fox.com/wayward-pines

            Get your hands off my Twin Peaks...

            Your HST idea is inspirational though, I've always thought Curse of Lono would make for an excellent series...

    2. ecofeco Silver badge

      Re: I'd rather see another Chris Carter series

      What is they reversed it? And set it back in the past? And called it something like "Agent Carter?"

      Right now, Marvel is the new "X-Files". "Agents of Shield" and now "Agent Carter" are carrying the "conspiracy weirdness" torch and carrying it well.

      1. Afflicted.John

        Re: I'd rather see another Chris Carter series

        Hang on there ecofeco....that was AFTER Fringe became the next X-Files...

        1. A Twig

          Re: I'd rather see another Chris Carter series

          I miss Fringe...

          1. Trevor_Pott Gold badge

            Re: I'd rather see another Chris Carter series

            "I miss Fringe..."

            I miss Walter. And Astrid. The rest I could really do without. Man, Fringe as a concept, with Walter...but an actual plot, and main characters that weren't wooden and horrible? I'm in! Especially If we don't let Jar Jar Abrams anywhere near it.

            It's bad enough he's created Jar Jar Trek. Remember when Star Trek was about something more than just sex and blowing shit up?

    3. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: I'd rather see another Chris Carter series

      What about Space: Above & Beyond?

      I'm sure a more updated, sophisticated and better acted show would be well worth a look.

      1. Trevor_Pott Gold badge

        Re: I'd rather see another Chris Carter series

        "What about Space: Above & Beyond?"

        But then it would just end after a single season on a massive cliffhanger and traumatize my poor need for fictional closure for another decade...

        I say bring back Earth 2!

  2. Chris G

    Sequels,Prequels,Resurrections and Remakes

    That's Hollywood and the TV companies nowadays. I'm willing to bet there's an El Reg reader out there who could think of something original and probably write it better too.

    1. ecofeco Silver badge

      Re: Sequels,Prequels,Resurrections and Remakes

      Yes, but they wouldn't know the "right" people nor use the "right" drugs.

      Some kind of weird sexual kink helps open Hollywood doors, too.

      1. WraithCadmus
        Gimp

        Re: Sequels,Prequels,Resurrections and Remakes

        Yes, but they wouldn't know the "right" people nor use the "right" drugs.

        Some kind of weird sexual kink helps open Hollywood doors, too.

        One out of three is a start, right?

    2. Captain DaFt

      Re: Sequels,Prequels,Resurrections and Remakes

      "something original and probably write it better too"

      "Wow! Great concept kid, it's new, it's innovative, it's original, it's Fresh! Give me a call when you can guarantee a multi-billion dollar franchise out of it, and we'll talk. Until then, hit the bricks."

    3. TheOtherHobbes

      Re: Sequels,Prequels,Resurrections and Remakes

      >I'm willing to bet there's an El Reg reader out there who could think of something original

      Difficult, what with Hollywood being managed by alien space lizards and populated entirely by clones and replicants.

  3. Phil W

    Reboot

    It's rare for me to say this as I think classic Sci-Fi should be left alone however in the case of The X-Files I think a reboot would likely work better. Have new agents come in to run the X-Files division with Mulder and Scully having left the agency for one reason or another.

    The whole Mulder and Scully storyline has been worn out by now I'd say.

    1. JDX Gold badge

      Re: Reboot

      Well they both left already didn't they - X-files went on for something like 9 series and at least one of the main cast left well before the end. I only watched the first few series but I'm told it went down the Lost route i.e. crap.

      1. Anonymous Coward
        Thumb Down

        Re: Reboot

        I can confirm that! Duchovny was phoning in performances before he bunked out for the last 2 series, and Anderson was relegated to the sidelines with Robert Patrick in the lead role (he did a decent job).

        My biggest frustration was that when I finally got round to watching the newest film straight after watching series 9, it had absolutely no correlation at all. All the threads that were left hanging after the show were totally ignored, and the film had very little supernatural or weird stuff in it - may as well not have been called X Files, and just set as a random police mystery drama. So if they do do a reboot/restart, it'd have to actually acknowledge the series and what happened in it (especially the deadline specified in the final episode).

        1. phil dude
          Coat

          Re: Reboot

          and then there's the "auto-biographical" Californication.

          I'll never look at a water bed the same way again....

          P.

  4. ecofeco Silver badge

    Why?

    Why? What weird alien conspiracy alternate universe twilight zone subject was not covered by the original series?

    They should just rerun the series again. It will be a long time before another show of that genre will come around again and seem as fresh as it did.

  5. Scott Pedigo
    Trollface

    I like to see the show combined with Californication: the XXX Files. Or what those alien grays did to me after they kidnapped me.

    1. Steve Crook

      Anal probes all round then?

      This post is disembodied.

      1. Paul Crawford Silver badge

        Re: Anal probes all round then?

        God I hope so! I mean, what if aliens have triangular sphincters?

        1. Phil W

          Re: Anal probes all round then?

          Then we'll have a new use for Toblerone.

      2. Toothpick

        Re: Anal probes all round then?

        Well the storyline did disappear up its own arse

  6. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Sounds like it would be a limited run series

    Since they compare it to the single season of 24. Or really any season of 24, as they were all self-contained stories that did little to set up the following season.

    This sounds ideal, as they could have enough time to have an engaging story arc without leaving a bunch of loose ends for next season and risk an unresolved cliffhanger if the series isn't renewed.

  7. Little Mouse

    Ex Files.

    Like a few people I know, after 20+ years as a public servant Mulder's going to be a cynical old fart who doesn't believe in anything anymore.

    Until they kill him off and replace him with "young" Shia LaBeouf.

  8. DropBear

    What's up Fox? Did you run out of awesome series to cancel during their first season...?

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Thinking the same, but you mentioned "Fox" in particular, all companies are killing first seasons. Of course all they see is $$$. Of course, maybe we should be thankful most series are being killed so quickly, because if they succeed, then they just seem to be bought up by Disney or some company similar and turned into shit. With any new Sci-Fi trailer, I can immediately spot if it is being run by Disney or someone cloning Disney's idea of Sci-Fi, because it's just so.... "clean". BTW, Han shot first.

  9. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    C'mon... The real stable mate of The X Files is Supernatural!

    X was at its best when Mulder and Scully were looking at unclosed case files and encountering truly weird things the rest of the FBI wouldn't ever believe... like a psychotic elevator, or Clyde Bruckman, or Eddie Van Blundht. Dean and Sam do the same in Supernatural, but like X the Winchesters depend on Lone Gunmen researcher types, other Hunters, and the people they save along the way, to help them out. I would seriously love to see Dean-vs-Mulder BANTS with Sam and Scully sharing cliff notes on how to survive a very long car journey when they can't control the playlist.

  10. John Sanders
    Alien

    It was a great show

    The first few seasons at last, the Vampires episode (The one with the sunflower seeds) was absolutely terrific.

    Then the show derived more and more into nonsense, and suddenly "Fox Mulder" whose bigger characteristic was being extremely intelligent was turned into an idiot because the script needed him to be.

    I stopped watching the show when the first movie was released (a huge disappointment at the time).

  11. Neoc
    Trollface

    Bring back "Shadow Chaser"!

  12. Ketlan
    Devil

    Blech...

    'Until they kill him off and replace him with "young" Shia LaBeouf.'

    Please God, no.

    1. Graham Dawson Silver badge

      Re: Blech...

      It could work. An x-files sequel with the lead played by a. actual cannibal? What's not to like?

  13. rav

    Just shoot me!!!

    Who wants more unresolved bullshyte? If the aliens are real then get on with it.

    1. tony

      Re: Just shoot me!!!

      Always felt that most "alien conspiracy" episodes ended with spaceships flying around behind Scully and her refusing to turn around.

  14. Colin Brett

    I thought Fringe had picked up the X-Files ball?

    1. codejunky Silver badge

      @ Colin Brett

      Fringe was amazing until season 5. However a proper ending was required and the observers were well done.

  15. The Vociferous Time Waster

    Meh

    a couple of decades ago the idea of more x files would appeal - it was the right time then with Roswell conspiracy belief at a high point. Now it will just be a sad swan song to unfulfilled careers

    1. maffski

      Re: Meh

      'a couple of decades ago the idea of more x files would appeal '

      Reboot the X-Files whilst it was still on? That's a genius idea - two different versions with exactly the same name/credits so you never knew which one you were watching - like a double grooved record. Or even better, show different versions from different transmitters.

      Get to school/college/work the next day 'Did you see X-Files? Those aliens at the end were freaky.' 'Aliens? What Aliens? It was a chemical spill.'

  16. Crisp
    Paris Hilton

    No. It ran for 9 seasons.

    If there was some kind of conspiracy that could be connected to aliens, they've done it already. (Paris, because she's been done to death too.)

  17. PassiveSmoking

    Oh Christ

    I know I'm flying in the face of popular opinion here, but X-files was crap. The only reason anyone watched it was the vain hope of getting to see Gillian Anderson's boobies.

    What's more it bred a generation of keyboard Mulders who think that they've discovered mind-blowing proof of government conspiracies when in fact all they've discovered are the paranoid rantings of some nut job who thought Bush blew up the twin towers, that the moon landings were faked, that vaccines are full of mind-control drugs, that commies are putting fluoride in the water to sap our precious bodily fluids, etc etc ad nausium

  18. Ant Evans

    Sod the X Files

    Bring back Catatonia.

  19. The elephant in the room
    Alien

    "History is a lie..."

    X-files had 9 series to explore every conceivable monster-of-the-week and a couple of make-it-up-as-they-kept-on-getting-recommisioned conspiracies. I was a huge fan for the first 5 series, but ultimately a disgruntled one by the 9th. I'd rather see a reboot of Dark Skies, with it's secret history of the latter half of the 20th century, which was axed with much unrealised potential.

  20. Stuart Elliott
    Trollface

    Well, if we're getting Mulder and Scully

    We'd better damned well get Eugene Victor Tooms too!

  21. Slacker@work

    Just don't...

    The X-Files were great, I'm a huge fan, but it ran its course. Please gods, no reboot, no new series - let it lie!! Likewise the constant rumours of a Firefly continuation/reboot - I love the original series and the movie; and yes more should have been made, but they should have been made then and not now.

    Writers should earn there money and bring us something original.

    1. Teiwaz

      Re: Just don't...

      Writers have very little to do with the decisions on what gets made.

      I expect lots of really great things get written, just not made into TV/Film because the plots are too intelligent and execs think the public won't understand them, and surmise if the public don't understand what it going on they won't like the show, therefore the show won't make money.

      Read a book sometime, books cut out the idiot to more of an extent than film or tv.

  22. Yoru

    No significant sense of unfinished business

    The originals had a good run, including the spin off, and the films extended the reach, but I'm not sure there was a big enough sense of unfinished business. That is, big enough for at least another couple of series.

    The big one I'm waiting for is a new Star Trek TV series. Obviously it won't be Carter that does it, but the sense of unfinished business and the welcoming market must be immense. Specifically, I'd like to see it move forward rather than backward, picking up the threads that have been cast in previous series regarding Twenty-ninth Century Star Trek.

  23. sisk

    No

    At least not on Fox. In the last 10 years that network has kept on all the crap they should have killed years ago and canceled all their promising shows after no more than 3 seasons. I say death to Fox and take the X-Files reboot someplace where good shows have a chance of surviving.

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