Himesh Patel to Lead Ryan Coogler’s ‘The X-Files’ Reboot
Filmogaz.com reports that Hulu has cast Himesh Patel as a co-lead in its The X-Files reboot. Ryan Coogler will write and direct the pilot, which Hulu has officially greenlit.
Cast and creative team
Patel joins Danielle Deadwyler as one of two new FBI agents. Both actors will play original characters, not Mulder or Scully.
Gillian Anderson has suggested she might appear. She has read Coogler’s script and urged viewers to keep an open mind.
Jennifer Yale will serve as showrunner on the series. Chris Carter will be a non-writing executive producer.
Sev Ohanian and Zinzi Coogler are also listed as non-writing executive producers. Proximity Media’s Simone Harris is a co-executive producer.
Series premise and ties to the original
The new series centers on two decorated but very different FBI agents. They are reassigned to a long-shuttered division that handles unexplained phenomena.
This premise diverges slightly from the original 1993 show. The 1993 series ran nine seasons and produced two feature films.
The original followed Dana Scully and Fox Mulder, played by Gillian Anderson and David Duchovny. Scully was initially assigned to question Mulder’s paranormal work.
Production details
The project is produced by Onyx Collective and 20th Television. Hulu greenlit the pilot with Coogler attached as writer-director.
Coogler arrives after the critical success of Sinners. That film earned 16 Oscar nominations and multiple wins, including Michael B. Jordan for best actor.
Coogler also won for best original screenplay. His involvement is considered a major get for the streamer.
Wider cultural context
The reboot arrives amid renewed public interest in aliens and UFOs. Congress has held hearings on UAP, and former presidents have weighed in publicly.
Steven Spielberg is also developing Disclosure Day, a film with a similar thematic focus. The timing has increased audience appetite for such stories.
Filmogaz.com will continue to follow casting and production updates on the series. Expect more details as the pilot moves into production.
