Posted in: Hulu, TV, TV | Tagged: buffy the vampire slayer, The X-Files

The X-Files: Ryan Coogler Pilot Wait Is Giving Us Bad "Buffy" Vibes

The longer it takes for Hulu to decide on EP Ryan Coogler & Showrunner Jennifer Yale's The X-Files, the more it feels like a "Buffy" repeat.

Stop me if you've heard this one before. An Academy Award-level filmmaker has an idea to revive a popular franchise that they've loved for years. The streaming service that owns the rights to the popular franchise green-lights a pilot from the filmmaker. The pilot/series idea is so strong that the stars of the original series make it clear they're either part of it or at least keeping the door open to be. The filmmaker talks up their love of the franchise, teasing how they're looking to remain faithful to the original series while taking things in unique directions. If you're a Buffy the Vampire Slayer fan, you might think I'm talking about EP Sarah Michelle Gellar, Showrunners Nora Zuckerman and Lila Zuckerman, director and EP Chloé Zhao, and EP Gail Berman's Geller and Ryan K. Armstrong-starring "New Sunnydale." Unfortunately, it's also the same path that EP Ryan Coogler and Showrunner Jennifer Yale's Danielle Deadwyler and Himesh Patel-starring The X-Files revival appears to be traveling down. The biggest difference between the two at this point? The "Buffy" revival had a stake driven through its heart at the pilot stage, while "The X-Files" revival is still under consideration. The biggest similarity between the two? Both projects are under Disney's Hulu streaming service – and that's why we're worried about the future of Coogler and Day's efforts.

Beginning with the previous CEO, Bob Iger, and fully implemented by the current CEO, Josh D'Amaro, The Walt Disney Company made the decision a few years back that one way "The Mouse" was going to lick its wounds from "The Great Streaming Wars" was to cut back on television production. For Marvel Studios and Lucasfilm, that meant a much greater focus on theatrical releases and a much smaller focus on live-action programming for the small screen. That also meant a greater focus on animated series and shows that are more "street level" (which is a fancy way of saying they're looking for shows that don't have huge price tags). But the budget cuts, layoffs, and production rollbacks are hitting across the board – and that includes Hulu. We can only imagine that live-action "Buffy" and "The X-Files" wouldn't come cheap – and that could easily be their downfalls.

Using "The X-Files" as the example, the franchise is currently getting buzz because Disney+ and Hulu are now streaming series creator Chris Carter's cut of his film, The X-Files: I Want to Believe. And then came the news this week that Mulder and Scully's adventures would continue in comic book form via Dynamite Entertainment. If that's enough to keep folks streaming the original series, revival seasons, and films, "The Mouse" may not see the point in spending a lot of money on something it doesn't think it needs to (setting aside the need to keep the franchise's creative juices flowing). If we're talking David Duchovny and Gillian Anderson returning to their roles full-time, that's different – I think Hulu would jump at that. Reportedly, Hulu had issues with Gellar not being in "New Sunnydale" enough. But when it comes to trying new, innovative things on the streaming series side that require a couple of extra bucks and the patience to get fans to embrace them, that's just not "The Mouse's" focus anymore. For now, "I Want to Believe" that I'm wrong – here's hoping I'm right.

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