Though the future of The X-Files is still up in the air, series creator Chris Carter says there may be a way around losing series star Gillian Anderson and her onscreen counterpart, Agent Dana Scully. Anderson took many fans (and FOX publicists) by surprise when she stated her intention to leave the series following season 11 at NYCC, a claim she later confirmed in subsequent interviews regarding the new season. Since then, both FOX and Carter have had time to comment on Anderson’s decision, with both acknowledging The X-Files without Dana Scully seems questionable, though the creator isn’t so sure the door is completely shut with regard to future Scully-less seasons of the show.

Though it got off to a rocky start, The X-Files season 11 is coming off two strong consecutive episodes, the latter of which was something of a showcase for Anderson and the character she’s been most closely associated with for the past 25 years. That sort of creative upswing is solid evidence there might actually be something to Carter’s claims “there are more stories to tell.” Whether or not Carter and his team of writers will have an opportunity to tell those stories remains to be seen, however, leaving the future of the franchise up in the air for the time being.

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In a recent interview with Digital Spy, Carter acknowledged that Anderson’s departure was certainly an ending for the long-running sci-fi series, though he’s not too sure it necessarily signals the end of The X-Files. Carter said:

Gillian Anderson and David Duchovny in The X-Files Season 11

"I don't know. I think that certainly The X-Files has more life in it, there are more stories to tell, with Gillian or without. I'm sorry to see her go, I've never actually considered doing this show without her, so is this the end? It's the end of something, I don't know if it's the beginning of something new. But certainly we will have to all put our heads together and figure out where to go from here.”

Perhaps more importantly, Carter shared his thoughts on how The X-Files might actually function without Anderson, saying the series might do well to directly acknowledge Scully’s absence, in effect allowing the missing character to partially fuel future storylines. Carter references when David Duchovny briefly left the show, saying how the series began to revolve around Mulder’s absence.

"I always thought of David the way I thought about the child William [Mulder and Scully's child], as an absent centre. Even when he wasn't there, he was the centre of everyone's concern, and the stories revolved around him. I think that's an interesting problem for storytellers and I think that if The X-Files is to go forward then Scully would be a similar absent centre.”

That could serve as an interesting workaround for the series should Carter and the powers that be decide moving forward without Anderson is something they want to do. That’s a big “if” at this point, considering the Disney’s acquisition of 20th Century Fox, and whether or not the rest of the cast, like Duchovny, Mitch Pileggi, or William B. Davis, want to believe another season is a good idea.

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Source: Digital Spy