Ryan Coogler to reboot "The X-Files"

[Reverend]

Diversity in the cast wouldn't be an unwelcome change for me, but it wouldn't in and of itself justify a revisit of the concept. It would still have to be *about* something, not just another gimmicky procedural.

You know what would be interesting? If there's never any concrete proof of the paranormal on the show. The original made such a big thing about the sceptic vs. believer angle, except it didn't take long until the proof of actual paranormal phenomena was undeniable and it just paradoxically made Scully look increasingly deluded and in denial, when it should have been the other way around.
So this time make Scully the one capable of critical thought, and Mulder be the "it's aliens" meme guy, only to be proven wrong every time---oh no wait; that's Scooby Doo! Ah well, almost thought there was an original idea there for a second . . .

 

[Jayson1]

I have to confess, I'm a big fan of all three of your examples, both the originals and the reboots. All of three of the reboots worked for me because they used a different style or took a different approach from the original, with H5-0 putting a bigger focus on action and character development than we got on the original, Macguyver turned him from a mostly solo hero to a member of a team, and Magnum PI gender flipped Higgens. Which brings up the question of what kind of approach you take with the new X-Files.
This is a really great idea, and would be a great way to take a new approach, since the old show was rather white, and it could potentialy give us a new perspective on some of the stuff they deal with. The fact that Ryan Coogler is potentially involved if this does get made, makes me think this is probaby the approach they'll take.
I'm glad to see you're such a big fan and supporter of more diversity in our media, especially SFF which does still tend to not always have a ton of diversity.

Not a bad idea, and if they really wanted to tie it back into the original show, they could always have the AI be based off of left behind alien tech.
The other idea I had was to bring in a privately funded version of the X-Files that are working for some big corporation and going after the monsters for some nefarious purpose.

The thing is you wouldn't even need private funding. I could see the X-Files being leaked on the Internet. This would make tons of X-Files being explored by fans and people who fancy themselves as journalist. The Lone Gunmen idea but adapted to modern times where people report stuff on their Youtube channel. Or also what Alec Jones was before he went far into the political battles.

They kind of touched on this idea in the last couple of seasons with the Joel McHale character but they would need to improve on that for a new show.

 

[Starkers]

Barely remember that second movie, never bothered with the reboot, and while I briefly considered a rewatch a year or so back, I never worked up the motivation to even take a crack at a "top 10 episodes" only rewatch. X-Files was a product of it's time, and one that really hasn't aged well.

I started a, admittedly v slow, rewatch at the beginning of 2022 (currently nearing the end of S7) and I'm surprised how well it holds up, outside of the techy episodes which really have dated quite badly, it doesn't feel like a 25 year old show. Yes it did go on way too long, and yes you'd hope a modern show might treat Scully a little better, but even nearing the point where Duchovny leaves I'm still coming a cross gems of episodes.

 

[The Wormhole]

I did a complete rewatch of the entire series back in 2019, and yeah, it really does hold up. Seasons 2 through 5 are especially Amazing Television. Even seasons 6 through 9, though the show was very clearly losing steam are still worth watching, IMO.

I will say season 7 probably indulged on the silly episodes a bit too much. I still enjoyed most of them, the episode which is basically a crossover with Cops being a particular highlight. Still if one were to watch that season independently, they could understandably be left with the mistaken impression that it was a comedy show.

 

[Starkers]

The Cops one is v funny.

I'm finding the quality more variable in season 7, and whilst I understand why it happened, the show is at its best when Mulder and Scully are together and the longer the show goes on the more often this doesn't happen.

To be making 20+ episodes a season with a minimal cast and still be mostly hugely enjoyable was a heck of an achievement though, must have been damn hard on David and Gillian though.

 

[StarTrek1701]

I am planning on doing a complete rewatch with my daughters next year, and I just realized the last episode aired in 2018!

 

[theenglish]

Is this reboot still happening?

 

[StarTrek1701]

Is this reboot still happening?

Hope not lol. I'd like Coogler to do a continuation not an outright reboot.

 

[theenglish]

Hope not lol. I'd like Coogler to do a continuation not an outright reboot.

I want a continuation too; unfortunately, the actors need to want to participate.

 

[Skipper]

In a post-Trump world, it's hard to make a show like X-Files. It's something that even those who worked on the original series have mentioned. Now everyone believes in the most bizarre conspiracies. A show that said "The truth exists and you can't find it on conspiracy websites" would be revolutionary.

There are people who go to pizza places to look for children who are victims of satanic pedophile cults and they are no longer a small minority.

Today a Mulder would be a social guru and millions of followers who would shower him with money.

 

[Tosk]

The stuff Mulder thought might be real is almost quaint now.
And instead of shadowy government agents involved in a conspiracy, now we have government officials who believe the most insane conspiracy theories.

 

[The Wormhole]

The last season included all kinds of digs, both subtle and overt to the Trump era and the effect it had on conspiracy theories and trust in government. One of my favorites was Cancer Man* commenting "if the public today learned even half the things I know, they would just ignore and declare it 'fake news.'"

*Yes, I call him Cancer Man instead of Cigarette Smoking Man.

 

[Jayson1]

Here is how I would do a X-Files reboot. What if a Conspiracy theory con artist who has became hated because of a Alex Jones style scandal with one of his theories actually got hold of the X-Files which are now on computer files of course. A con artist who now has access to the truth yet nobody will believe him because of his reputation. He also has a drinking problem and while not super racist he is not exactly PC. He teams up with a women who is a civil rights activist who also distrusts the government for clear reasons. Then you have a nerd who of course can do lots of the science talk that Scully had to do. They sometimes get helped out by a now retired Walter Skinner. Mulder and Scully live outside of America and are hiding because the government wants to kill them. Perhaps they show up at some point in the shows run or if not then that is also okay.

 

[suarezguy]

It might feel safe, I think could actually be more interesting take if there were several different nefarious or not nefarious but misguided groups competing with each other although all trying to fool the public, do and accomplish stuff without the public knowing, reflect that a lot of the powerful and influential actually don't really get along.

 

[Jayson1]

It might feel safe, I think could actually be more interesting take if there were several different nefarious or not nefarious but misguided groups competing with each other although all trying to fool the public, do and accomplish stuff without the public knowing, reflect that a lot of the powerful and influential actually don't really get along.

I kind of like that as a arc and really feels reflective of modern society were it often feels like our society is built around multiple groups using their own propaganda to trick people. The Deep State is no longer contained within the Deep State. It now part of our culture.

Jason

 

[Starkers]

You could of course flip the X-Files on its head. What if this modern variant of the X-Files had been set up by the FBI to debunk paranormal activities and conspiracies. You'd have to be careful you didn't stray into Scooby Doo territory but the majority of episodes would end with Milder and Skilly (or whatever we call them) proving there is no werewolf/UFO/ghost. Make it a quirky detective show ala Jonathan Creek where they have to work out why/how people think it's a werewolf/UFO/Ghost.

The rub of course would be that every once in a while they would come across something genuinely perplexing and slowly over time our cynical non believers would start to waver, or maybe just one of them would.

Effectively your show, initially at least, would be more akin to those rare episodes of The X-Files where there's no supernatural element (Irresistible, Home, The Amazing Maleeni) and rather than a believer and a sceptic you'd start with two sceptics, two Scullys essentially, but over the course of the series one of those Scullys becomes a Mulder.

 

[The Nth Doctor]

I could see that working for people like us, but the biggest issue with such a premise is getting the general audience to invest in it.

In fact, I'm not sure if modern audiences could be interested in a show like The X-Files where you can have a combination of an ongoing mystery mixed in with standalone episodes of isolated mysteries. Like I said in a couple of pages ago (as reminded by the fact that someone just liked that post again), I always preferred the isolated mysteries of myths, folklores, and legends far more than the alien conspiracy. However, I think modern audiences are conversely much more interested in mystery boxes than standalone tales that are deliberately left unresolved. Mixing the two will only frustrate the hell out of them.

 

[Skipper]

I could see that working for people like us, but the biggest issue with such a premise is getting the general audience to invest in it.

In fact, I'm not sure if modern audiences could be interested in a show like The X-Files where you can have a combination of an ongoing mystery mixed in with standalone episodes of isolated mysteries. Like I said in a couple of pages ago (as reminded by the fact that someone just liked that post again), I always preferred the isolated mysteries of myths, folklores, and legends far more than the alien conspiracy. However, I think modern audiences are conversely much more interested in mystery boxes than standalone tales that are deliberately left unresolved. Mixing the two will only frustrate the hell out of them.

The other factor is how many episodes each season would consist of. One thing is if it were 24 like it used to be, another is 10 or 13 like on streaming platforms.

 

[Starkers]

@The Nth Doctor Interestingly back in the day I was very much team monster of the week, but I found the conspiracy stuff a lot more interesting on my last watch through (which started several year ago and is still going because I got bogged down in the (comparatively) awful season 9 about a year ago!).

A ten episode season could work well. Looking back God knows how they came up with 20+ stories a year and you can see why Anderson and Duchovny had had enough of each other and the show by the end (if not long before the end)

 

[Saul]

In a post-Trump world, it's hard to make a show like X-Files. It's something that even those who worked on the original series have mentioned. Now everyone believes in the most bizarre conspiracies. A show that said "The truth exists and you can't find it on conspiracy websites" would be revolutionary.

There are people who go to pizza places to look for children who are victims of satanic pedophile cults and they are no longer a small minority.

Today a Mulder would be a social guru and millions of followers who would shower him with money.

This right here.
They'd have to totally reinvent the show to fit with today's world.