Hulu Orders Pilot of Ryan Coogler’s ‘X-Files’ Reboot, Deadwyler Cast As Co-Lead

Popular streaming service Hulu has ordered a pilot series of Ryan Coogler’s ‘X-Files’ Reboot, with actress Danielle Deadwyler cast as co-lead.

The reboot, part of Coogler’s five-year deal with Disney, is a collaboration by Coogler’s Proximity Media, Onyx Collective, and 20th Television.

Coogler, who had contacted the original ‘X-Files’ creator Chris Carter in 2023 about rebooting the series with a diverse cast, said the series was one of his mom’s favourites.

“My mom means the world to me, so this is a big one for me. I want to do right by her and the fans. My mom has read some of the stuff I wrote for it. She’s fired up.”

The original X-Files starred Gillian Anderson as Dana Scully and David Duchovny as Fox Mulder, FBI agents assigned to investigate unexplained cases and those bordering on the paranormal. The sci-fi show debuted on Fox TV on September 10, 1993, and went on to become one of the most beloved shows in television. Post its nine-season run, the series returned for two more series in 2016 and 2018, with two features produced in 1998 (The X-Files), and in 2009, ‘The X-Files: I Want To Believe’.

Speaking of the reboot to ‘The Last Podcast on the Left’, Coogler said, “Some of those episodes, if we do our jobs right, will be … scary”.

While no date has been set for its release, and the second co-lead is yet to be cast, Coogler is expected to focus attention on the project after the 2026 Oscar campaign for ‘Sinners’ concludes with the Academy Awards on March 15.

Deadwyler is best known for her roles in films such as ‘Till’, ‘Carry-On’, ‘The Harder They Fall’, and ‘The Woman In The Yard’. She has also played memorable parts in shows like ‘Atlanta’, ‘The Bear’, and ‘Station Eleven’.

Coogler’s ‘X-Files’ reboot will be written, directed, and executive produced by him under his Proximity Media banner, alongside Jennifer Yale (The Copenhagen Test) as showrunner and executive producer. Sev Ohanian and Zinzi Coogler of Proximity will also executive with the original X-Files creator, Chris Carter.