Ryan Coogler’s revival of The X-Files is moving forward in active development and will come before Black Panther 3, according to the director during a discussion on the Happy Sad Confused podcast with Josh Horowitz. He described the project as his current focus and indicated that the Panther crossover would follow the reboot, framing the timing as a deliberate sequence rather than concurrent productions.
A central motivation for the revival is nostalgia. Coogler recalled The X-Files as a show he watched with his mother and called it one of the most beautiful American television programs. He emphasized that the reboot would seek to honor the source material while introducing something distinctly new, explaining that the original series blended a skeptic and a believer in ways that defined the genre. He acknowledged that the show helped launch Vince Gilligan’s career and pressed that the new version would maintain the balance of monsters-of-the-week stories with an overarching conspiracy, mirroring the structure that made the original a touchstone for fans.
Coogler also referenced guidance from veteran creators on how to craft television, noting that he has received advice from Vince Gilligan about the process. On the question of bringing back familiar faces, he avoided concrete promises, saying only that he is a fan of Gillian Anderson and David Duchovny and that there are no definitive casting details at this time.
The X-Files’ original run stretched from 1993 to 2002 across nine seasons, with a 10-episode revival in 2016 and an 11-episode continuation in 2018. The franchise also produced two feature films, released in 1998 and 2008. In a development update tying the legacy to platforms of today, all 11 seasons—including the two revival seasons—are slated to stream on Pluto TV starting January 1, 2026. The service will also host a dedicated channel that will air a complete linear run of the series, expanding the show’s reach beyond on-demand viewing.
As the production timeline remains fluid, no specific production start date or network has been announced. Nonetheless, the public framing of Coogler’s project—a nostalgia-forward reboot positioned ahead of his next Black Panther installment—sets clear expectations for a modern re-envisioning of a landmark series while maintaining fidelity to the original formula that defined it.