Ryan Coogler’s ‘X-Files’ Update Scores Hulu Series Order

Danielle Deadwyler, Himesh Patel and Ryan Coogler Melissa Alexander; Courtesy of Subject; Arturo Holmes/Getty Images Logo text

The truth is still out there.

A reboot of The X-Files shepherded by Ryan Coogler has landed a series order at Hulu. The Sinners filmmaker has been developing the project for several years, and he wrote and directed the pilot episode. Coogler will be an executive producer on the series, with Jennifer Yale (Underground, See) serving as showrunner. Onyx Collective and 20th Television produce along with Coogler’s Proximity Media.

Danielle Deadwyler (Rooster, The Harder They Fall) and Himesh Patel (The Odyssey) will star in the series as “two highly decorated but vastly different FBI agents who form an unlikely bond when they are assigned to a long-shuttered division devoted to cases involving unexplained phenomena,” per the show’s logline.

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“I’ve loved The X-Files for a long time, so getting the chance to write and direct the pilot has meant a great deal to me,” said Coogler. “What Chris Carter created is special, and we wanted to honor everything that made the original series connect with so many people while also finding our own way into that world. Danielle and Himesh, along with the rest of our cast, have brought such original perspectives and performances to these characters, and watching that come together has been one of the most rewarding parts of the experience. I couldn’t have asked for better collaborators than my crew, colleagues at Proximity Media and our partners at Onyx Collective and 20th Television. I’m grateful for the trust and support they’ve given us as we take on this new chapter.”

Created by Carter, The X-Files originally ran from 1993-2002 on Fox and spawned two feature films. Gillian Anderson and David Duchovny starred for most of the original run and in the two movies; Robert Patrick and Annabeth Gish starred in the latter stages of the show. Fox revived the show for two more seasons in 2016 and 2018, with Anderson and Duchovny returning to their roles as agents Dana Scully and Fox Mulder.

Carter is an executive producer on the Hulu series alongside Coogler, Yale and Proximity Media’s Zinzi Coogler and Sev Ohanian. Deadwyler, Patel and Proximity’s Simone Harris are co-EPs.

“We’re looking forward to continuing this journey as executive producers and especially excited to work closely with Jennifer Yale, Simone Harris, and the entire cast and crew as we bring this new chapter of The X-Files to life,” said Zinzi Coogler, Ohanian and Ryan Coogler in a statement. “It was also incredibly special to have our fellow Proximity co-founder Ludwig Göransson contribute the score for the pilot, making this a true collaboration across the Proximity family.”