The X-Files Reboot from Ryan Coogler Gets Pilot Order at Hulu With Danielle Deadwyler Set to Star

Ryan Coogler’s The X-Files reboot is moving forward at Hulu with Danielle Deadwyler (Carry-On, Till) as one of its two stars.

Deadline reports the sci-fi revival from the mastermind behind last year’s Sinners has finally received a pilot order at the streamer after word of its existence emerged in 2023. In addition to gaining a co-lead in Deadwyler, the site says that See, The Copenhagen Test, and Dexter writer Jennifer Yale has been brought on as showrunner.

Deadwyler will play one half of the show’s leading duo and is bringing more than 15 years of experience in movies and TV with her. In addition to appearances in shows like Atlanta and Watchmen throughout the 2010s, recent years have seen her play prominent roles in films like 2022’s Till, as well as 2024’s I Saw the TV Glow and Carry-On. Last year, she led Jaume Collet-Serra’s The Woman in the Yard.

Deadline reports the new take on a classic ‘90s program will follow “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.” Coogler will write and direct The X-Files reboot’s pilot episode, while also serving as an executive producer with Zinzi Coogler and Sev Ohanian via Proximity Media. Chris Carter, creator of the original show, is also involved as an executive producer, as is Yale.

Bloomberg reported on Disney’s interest in The X-Files a few years back, but Coogler has mostly kept quiet about the reboot while working on other projects. Aside from Sinners, which shook fans and critics (we gave it a 9/10) when it premiered last April and has continued to make headlines since, the Black Panther director returned to the Marvel universe as an executive producer for Ironheart last year. Now, however, it seems the wheels are fully in motion as the beloved sci-fi series attempts to bring in new and old fans.

The X-Files reboot currently has no release date, with the remainder of its cast and a potential episode count still a mystery. It’s also unclear if any of the original cast, such as David Duchovny as Fox Mulder, will play any sort of role, but Gillian Anderson, who played Dana Scully, has suggested she’s at least interested in seeing how things will shake out.

“There’s a chance [the show] will happen, whether I am involved in it is a whole other thing,” Anderson said of Coogler’s reboot in 2024. “But in his hands — I’m not saying no — because I think he is really cool. I think if he did it, it would probably be done incredibly well, and maybe I’ll pop in for a little something something.”

All 11 seasons of The X-Files recently started streaming and triggered a wave of new and updated rankings from fans across the internet. Viewers have been so hungry for new content that, when some mysterious black goo popped up in Ohio, they couldn’t help but wonder if it could lead to something ripped straight out of the show.

Photo by Sergi Alexander/Getty Images.

Michael Cripe is a freelance writer with IGN. He’s best known for his work at sites like The Pitch, The Escapist, and OnlySP. Be sure to give him a follow on Bluesky (@mikecripe.bsky.social) and Twitter (@MikeCripe).