Fresh off an Oscar win for Best Original Screenplay, Sinners auteur Ryan Coogler has more than proven his mettle in genre storytelling. Vampires, etc. We’ve known for a while what Coogler wants for his next project: a reboot of perennial ’90s sci-fi/horror series, The X-Files. While we don’t know what exactly Coogler’s approach will be, we have an inkling it’ll be a bit different than the previous 11 seasons. But original star Gillian Anderson wants us all to be aware that not only is the project interesting, it’s very good.
Anderson fielded questions at Awesome Con in Washington, DC over the weekend, and her response to the reboot question was both emphatically positive and enigmatic. Typical Agent Scully (not really).
The clip—posted to TikTok via user dory_jackson—has Anderson promise the pilot script is very good, but she also urges fans to keep an open mind. She says, “have an open mind and give it a chance, because it’s gonna be f***ing cool.”
Coogler’s fresh take on classic material is nothing new. Both Creed and his Black Panther movies brought their respective sources into the modern era, and garnered tons of acclaim in the process. What sounds likely here is that his idea for The X-Files wouldn’t retread ground from the original series and more a spiritual successor that would, I imagine, bring it fully into the 2020s. People are aware of things their governments do far more now than in 1993. Mistrust is rampant, so finding out about an alien conspiracy probably isn’t that shocking.
For Anderson’s part, it seems she’s always down to be involved in the project. It’s cool Coogler is so reverent to her on this. Whether and how much Dana Scully appears in the X-Files reboot, her stamp of approval is enough for me.
Kyle Anderson is the Senior Editor for Nerdist. He hosts the weekly pop culture deep-dive podcast Laser Focus. You can find his film and TV reviews here. Follow him on Letterboxd.