Hulu orders full series of Ryan Coogler's X-Files reboot with Deadwyler and Patel

A full series order after a long development

Hulu has ordered a full series of the X-Files reboot, moving the project beyond the pilot the platform approved in February. The order was announced on 13 October, and the project has been in development for more than three years. Ryan Coogler wrote, directed and executive produced the pilot through his company Proximity Media, and he remains attached to the series. The order falls under Coogler's five-year exclusive television deal with Disney, the parent company of Hulu, 20th Television and Onyx Collective. Hulu's official press release calls the show a reimagining of Chris Carter's classic series, produced by Onyx Collective and 20th Television.

Two new FBI agents, not Mulder and Scully

The show centres on two FBI agents played by Danielle Deadwyler and Himesh Patel, who are new characters rather than new takes on David Duchovny's Fox Mulder or Gillian Anderson's Dana Scully. According to the official summary, the pair are highly decorated but very different agents who form an unlikely bond after they are assigned to a long-shuttered division that handles cases involving unexplained phenomena. Both actors are also co-executive producers on the series. Coogler said in a statement that he had loved the original series for years.

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.

Coogler also credited Deadwyler, Patel and the rest of the cast with bringing original perspectives and performances to the characters. His film Sinners won multiple Oscars earlier this year, and a third Black Panther film is due in 2028.

Creative team and the original series

Jennifer Yale is the showrunner and executive produces alongside Coogler. Chris Carter, creator of the original series, also serves as an executive producer. Zinzi Coogler and Sev Ohanian, who founded Proximity Media with Coogler, are executive producers, and Simone Harris is a co-executive producer. Ludwig Göransson, another Proximity co-founder, composed the score for the pilot. In a 2023 podcast interview, Carter said he had spoken with Coogler about remounting the show with a diverse cast. The original series ran for 11 seasons on Fox, earning 61 Emmy nominations and 15 wins, and sources describe it as a reference point for science fiction on television and in pop culture.

What comes next

No release date has been announced for the new series. Sources say Disney+ will carry it, including in Spain, and that its premiere on the platform is already assured. Beyond the lead pair, the announcement offers few details on plot or cast. Coogler has said the team wanted to honor what connected the original with so many viewers while finding its own route into that world.