Ryan Coogler Eyes Carry-On Star for The X-Files Reboot
Ryan Coogler’s The X-Files reboot may have found its lead, with Danielle Deadwyler in talks to star for 20th Century Television—stoking fresh buzz for a modern reinvention of the sci-fi classic.
File this under promising-but-not-official: Ryan Coogler is quietly building his take on The X-Files, and now Danielle Deadwyler is reportedly in talks to headline it. If that pans out, that is a sharp casting swing for a series that wants to feel like The X-Files but actually live in 2025.
So, what is this new X-Files?
Coogler has been developing a reboot since 2023 for 20th Century Television, and the plan is to reinvent the classic sci-fi procedural for a modern audience. He aims to write the pilot, executive produce, and might direct as well. He is working with franchise creator Chris Carter, who has already met with him to talk through the concept. Coogler even sat down with Gillian Anderson at one point, but more on that in a second.
The Danielle Deadwyler piece
Per Nexus Point News, Deadwyler is in talks to play one of the lead investigators, paired with a male co-lead. If you have seen her in Till or The Harder They Fall, you know why her name keeps coming up for projects like this. She is also set to play Zelma Redding in Otis & Zelma, which makes the reported X-Files role an intriguing next step.
Where things stand right now
- Deadwyler is in talks, not locked. The role would put her as a lead investigator opposite a male co-star.
- Coogler is writing the pilot, executive producing, and could direct.
- Chris Carter has met with Coogler and is involved on the development side.
- Gillian Anderson met with Coogler but says she is not returning as Scully.
- The reboot is still early at 20th Century Television.
About that Scully question
Fans asked. Anderson answered. In an interview with The National, she shut the door on a comeback and explained why.
"No, I don’t miss Dana Scully... I feel like, on the whole, I’ve said all that needs to be said about her. I’m not sure that I have anything left to add to that conversation. Sorry."
She has moved on to new stuff, including Disney's Tron: Ares. Translation: do not expect a surprise Scully cameo.
A quick refresher on the original
The X-Files ran from 1993 to 2002, then returned in 2016 for two extra seasons. Across the entire run, it racked up 218 episodes and spun off two films: The X-Files (1998) and The X-Files: I Want to Believe (2008). David Duchovny and Gillian Anderson anchored it all as FBI agents Fox Mulder and Dana Scully. Reinventing that DNA is a tall order, but if you are going to try, you might as well swing with bold casting and a filmmaker with a clear point of view.
The players behind the curtain
Coogler is coming off Black Panther: Wakanda Forever and Sinners. Deadwyler continues to stack prestige work and looks like a savvy fit for a grounded, character-first version of this world. None of this is officially greenlit casting yet, but it is the kind of behind-the-scenes momentum that usually means the files are definitely open again.