Fans of The X-Files have been discussing a possible third film in the science fiction series since the release of last year’s much-maligned I Want To Believe. While no concrete news has yet been released, it would appear that all of the principals are on board to return for a third big-screen X-Files adventure.

The latest person to talk up X-Files 3 is Fox Mulder himself – David Duchovny.

Duchovny recently spoke with The Daily Beast and stated that (like most fans) he would like the next film to tackle the 2012 mythology within the hit show.

News broke a few weeks ago that a film version of Chris Carter television show Millennium might be on the way. I’ve spent that time trying to gather some information on the project to see if fans will get to see the return of Lance Henriksen’s Frank Black character.

Millennium was a mid-to-late nineties show from the creator of The X-Files, Chris Carter, as a way of tackling darker stories that did not fit into the X-Files mold. Lance Henriksen starred as Frank Black, a profiler who has remarkable insight into the minds of killers and other demented souls. The show was like Michael Mann’s Manhunter crossed with Seven, by way of The X-Files. While it wasn’t a huge hit, it did acquire many loyal fans during its run and a campaign has been ongoing to try and get some closure on the series.

X-Files News (can’t believe that’s actually a site) recently nabbed a jewel during their world-spanning watch of all things X-Files: quotes from Gillian Anderson at a Sarajevo film festival that basically allude to the fact that she would be willing to return for a third X-Files movie and (that in fact) there is one currently in the planning stages, with 2012 mentioned as a possible production or release date (details are unclear).

If you’re suddenly thinking to yourself, “Another X-Files flick? WTH???” Then my friend, you are not alone.

Yep, it really is that time of the week again.

This week:

Harrison Ford talks Indy 5; we check out Johnny Depp in Alice In Wonderland; Jonah Hex is in trouble; John Carpenter is a Prince; and The X-Files’ Frank Spotnitz plans 2012.

When The X-Files: I Want To Believe bombed this past summer at the U.S. box office it looked like the end of the sci-fi franchise. However the film has grossed a pretty decent $70 million worldwide off of a modest budget of $30 million, so it is firmly in the column marked profit. All this and the DVD sales haven’t even been factored in yet.

Now Fox head Tim Rothman has stated that he’d be up for a third film in the series, and all that it will take for the film to get a green light is commitment from Chris Carter, David Duchovny and Gillian Anderson.

[UPDATE: This rumor has been debunked]

I think that it is pretty safe to say that The X-Files: I Want To Believe was a bit of a disappointment, both commercially and critically. And to make matters worse, it also let down a lot of fans.

X-Files fans are a dedicated bunch who helped the show become a phenomenon and to disappoint them is a pretty big deal. As Screen Rant’s resident X-File fan even I was a bit let down by the film.

Before the release of the second feature there was a lot of talk of the franchise continuing in a series of films, but due to the poor box office ($20 million domestic) it looked like The X-Files had come to its natural conclusion.

But has it?