Posted in: Fox, Preview, streaming, TV | Tagged: chris carter, Dana Scully, Fox Mulder, preview, The X-Files, x-files

The X-Files Spinoff Not Moving Forward at FOX; Coogler Project Update

Reports are the animated spinoff The X-Files: Albuquerque is not moving forward at FOX; Ryan Coogler's "X-Files" project wouldn't be at FOX.

With all of that talk from earlier today about The X-Files creator Chris Carter dropping the bomb that Ryan Coogler (Fruitvale Station, Creed, "Black Panther" films) was "going to remount" the series, our time machines have been forced to head back to August 2020. That's when the news hit that FOX and Carter were working on a script & presentation commitment for an animated spinoff. Written and executive produced by Rocky Russo and Jeremy Sosenko (Paradise PD), The X-Files: Albuquerque wouldn't focus on Mulder (David Duchovny) or Scully (Gillian Anderson) but on an office full of misfit agents who investigate X-Files cases too wacky, ridiculous, or downright dopey for Mulder and Scully to bother with. They're essentially the X-Files' B-team. Carter, Russo, and Sosenko were set to executive produce alongside former X-Files writer Gabe Rotter, with Bento Box handling animation. Now, TVLine is reporting from sources that the animated project isn't moving forward at FOX. In addition, TVLine reports that Coogler's potential "X-Files" project would not be for FOX.

The X-Files: Anderson & Duchovny On Another Return

Remember back in April when Anderson was asked during a profile interview what it would take for her to return as FBI Agent Dr. Dana Scully if there was to be another revival of The X-Files (like in 2016 and 2018)? "It just feels like such an old idea. I've done it, I did it for so many years, and it also ended on such an unfortunate note," Anderson explained, in reference to the reveal that Scully was pregnant. "In order to even begin to have that conversation [about another season], there would need to be a whole new set of writers, and the baton would need to be handed on for it to feel like it was new and progressive. So yeah, it's very much in the past." During an interview with Yahoo! Entertainment in support of his new novel The Reservoir, Duchovny weighed in on Anderson's comments and shared his thoughts on another revival.

"No, that was the first I'd heard of it [Anderson's comments]. Personally, I don't like to air creative grievances like that in public, so I was surprised to see it actually," Duchovny said of Anderson's comments expressing her displeasure with how her character was handled. As for his interest in returning, the actor, writer & director is always willing to keep the door open. "I thought the first seven years were enough! But I'm always up for more, clearly," Duchovny said. "Someone sent me a clip of Joel McHale from the 2016 episodes we did, and it's a spot-on description of where we're at six years later. I don't think ['The X-Files' creator] Chris Carter gets enough credit for being [prescient]. Forget about the ins and outs of plots and who gets pregnant or who gets shot. I mean, every show turns into a soap opera, so you have limited options. People are going to die or get pregnant or go to prison, right? Or become president."

He continued, "I think like it's a little bit in the weeds to worry about characters' fates when you realize that Chris [Carter] somehow made a show in 1993, and again in 2016, that predicted what 2022 would be like. If he wanted to do more, I'd certainly listen to him. I'd say, 'What have you got?' Because I want to know the future, too, you know what I mean? And not denigrating Gillian's [Anderson] feelings about Scully being pregnant or the character. I certainly had misgivings about my character throughout the run. It's in the nature of a long-running thing. But to take the long view, what that show is able to embrace thematically is really the key to its longevity, and if we were to do it again, it's just a question of: 'What have we got to say?"

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