Filming is already underway on The X-Files revival that reunites Fox Mulder (David Duchovny) and Dana Scully (Gillian Anderson) with series creator Chris Carter and will premiere on Fox in January 2016. The acclaimed and ground-breaking series went off the air in 2002, but both Duchovny and Anderson have already returned once before to their roles as television's most famous FBI agents since then - for the 2008 film, The X-Files: I Want to Believe.
I Want to Believe wasn't necessarily a return to form - for either the characters or Carter - but that hasn't dampened fans' excitement for an X-Files revival. The six-episode event series not only reunites X-Files' stars with its creator, but will also bring back fan-favorites like Mitch Pileggi's Walter Skinner and William B. Davis' Cigarette-Smoking Man. Moreover, key writers from the series' nine-year run - Jim Wong, Glen Morgan, and Darin Morgan - are returning and will each write and direct an episode a piece.
We've already had our first glimpse at Mulder and Scully on set, but an upcoming edition of Entertainment Weekly will offer a better look at Duchovny and Anderson back in their iconic roles. EW shared the cover for their X-Files issue via Instagram and you can check it out below:
Clearly, the passing years have been kind to Duchovny and Anderson, but the same cannot be said of the FBI counterparts. In a set interview with EW, Duchovny describes Mulder as being in a "dark, dark place," explaining that, "he’s wearing bad jeans, so you can just extrapolate from my wardrobe." By comparison, Scully looks like she's better off judging by her suit and heels and in that same interview Anderson says:
"I like where we find Mulder and Scully in their relationship. I also like the area of zeitgeist that we step in to. It’s on point and raises some very interesting issues. And question marks."
Carter explains that for the revival, The X-Files have been influenced by the crises and concerns of today:
"The X-Files ended right after 9/11. A lot has happened since then. A lot of rollback of rights and liberties in the name of our protection. We’re being spied on now, we’re being lied to — all things that, for me, remind me of when I grew up, which was right around Watergate. I think we’re in similar and much more dire times right now."
The X-Files always included elements of government conspiracy and political oversight in addition to alien abductions and unsolved mysteries, so hearing that this mini-series will reflect the heightened concerns of our time isn't at all surprising - in fact it's welcomed if The X-Files revival is looking to have more impact than its 2008 feature.
Carter goes on to clarify that The X-Files revival won't be too mired in political drama and will still feature a mix of 'monster-of-the-week' episodes as well as ones exploring the mythology of the franchise. However, it turns out the episode titled "Home Again" isn't revisiting any past cases. Sorry to anyone holding out hope for a return of those creepy inbreds and their limbless mother under the bed.
"We’re not going to reboot any of the old favorites, although it was something we all thought about. These are all brand new stories. We hope to scare you in brand new ways."
That said, we have learned the title of Darin Morgan's contributed episode - "Mulder and Scully Meet The Were-Man" - which is sure to please fans of his more off-beat episodes like "Clyde Bruckman’s Final Repose" and "Jose Chung’s ‘From Outer Space."
Lastly, EW has several new images from The X-Files revival, including our first look at Joel McHale's character and a potential alien abductee (played by The Americans' Annet Mahendru). Give them a look a below!
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The X-Files revival series will premiere on January 24th, 2016 on FOX.
Source: EW