Ryan Coogler Teams With Danielle Deadwyler for Bold Reimagining of The X-Files
Fresh off making BAFTA history, the Sinners director is officially reimagining one of television's most iconic franchises. And his leading lady? Danielle Deadwyler.
he ink on Ryan Coogler's BAFTA win is barely dry, and he's already making his next major power move. Hulu has officially ordered a pilot for a bold reimagining of The X-Files with Coogler writing, directing, and executive producing — and Danielle Deadwyler locked in as one of the two leads.
This isn't a revival. It's a reinvention.
The official logline describes the new series as following "two highly decorated but vastly different FBI agents" who "form an unlikely bond when they are assigned to a long-shuttered division devoted to cases involving unexplained phenomena." The second lead role has yet to be cast — which means the industry is about to enter full speculation mode.
Coogler has been circling this project for years, and the personal stakes couldn't be higher. "Like my relationship with 'Rocky' with my dad, 'The X-Files' is one of those things with my mom," he told Variety. "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." He's even had her vet the material — and she's reportedly fired up. That's the kind of energy that doesn't produce mediocre television.
For Deadwyler, this is another career-defining opportunity for one of the most compelling actresses working today. She recently earned a Screen Actors Guild Award nomination for best supporting actress for The Piano Lesson and is set to appear in HBO's upcoming third season of Euphoria as well as the new HBO comedy series Rooster alongside Steve Carell. She's not just on the rise — she's arrived. Pairing her with Coogler isn't just smart casting. It's a statement.
The project will be produced by Onyx Collective and 20th Television, with The X-Files creator Chris Carter on board as a non-writing executive producer — enough involvement to honor the original's DNA without handcuffing what this new version can become. Jennifer Yale joins as showrunner.
As for Mulder and Scully? Gillian Anderson has said she told Coogler he was "the perfect person" for the job and left the door open with a "perhaps" if the phone rings and the moment feels right. David Duchovny has been characteristically noncommittal. Don't hold your breath — but don't count it out either.
What makes this pairing so electric is the timing. Coogler is coming off the most celebrated stretch of his career. Sinners has amassed over $365 million globally, received 16 Oscar nominations, and just made Coogler the first Black man to win a BAFTA for Best Original Screenplay. He told Last Podcast on the Left exactly what he's bringing to the paranormal: "Some of those episodes, if we do our jobs right, will be really f---ing scary."
Consider that a promise.
The X-Files built its legacy on two things: the thrill of the unexplained and the electricity between its leads. Coogler knows how to build worlds. Deadwyler knows how to hold a frame. If this pilot delivers on even half of what it's promising, Hulu may have just landed the prestige genre series of the decade.
The truth is still out there. And this time, it's got a whole new set of faces hunting it down.