Ryan Coogler's X-Files has cast its leads (and everything else we know so far about the reboot)

Fresh off his Oscar wins for Sinners, writer/director Ryan Coogler already has his next project lined up. He's rebooting The X-Files and writing and directing the pilot for Hulu. This week, that reboot moved forward in a major way. Himesh Patel (The Franchise, Yesterday, Station Eleven) and Danielle Deadwyler (Till, 40 Acres, Station Eleven) have been cast as FBI agents. To be clear, they're not replacing Mulder and Scully, but rather, Deadwyler and Patel will play completely new characters.

The Hollywood Reporter noted this week that the show's new description reads, "Two highly decorated but vastly different FBI agents form an unlikely bond when they are assigned to a long-shuttered division devoted to cases involving unexplained phenomena."

Though that's all we have so far regarding any kind of description, let alone a synopsis, it does seem like the reboot may play up a Mulder and Scully sort of dynamic with the new agents. Perhaps one will be the skeptic and the other the true believer. We'll have to see.

Danielle Deadwyler in 40 Acres- Courtesy of Magnolia Pictures

Additionally, Anderson hinted recently that she could be open to reprising her iconic role, and that she's been in talks with Coogler about the pilot. Deadline reported this week that Anderson teased the pilot at Awesome Con. She confirmed that she's read the script already and said of Coogler, "He's such a cool guy and so talented." She added that the pilot's script is "really good," and she encouraged fans to give the reboot a chance. It certainly sounds like she's open to playing Scully.

Himesh Patel in The Franchise - Courtesy of Warner Bros.

Meanwhile, Jennifer Yale (The Copenhagen Test) has been tapped as the showrunner. Series creator Chris Carter will be involved in a non-writing role as a producer. Coogler has not commented upon the reboot extensively so far, but Deadline reported that in a podcast appearance last April, Coogler said he's been excited about the project for a while and that he's "fired up to get back to it." He promised that some of the episodes should be really scary, before adding, "We're gonna try to make something really great and make something for the real X-Files' fans and maybe find some new ones."

Further, Coogler has confirmed that the reboot will follow the initial series' structure of monster-of-the-week episodes and mythology episodes. The mythology episodes focused on a larger government conspiracy regarding the existence of extraterrestrial life and an actual alien invasion, which played out more extensively in the first movie, The X-Files: Fight the Future, as well as all 11 seasons.

While Anderson has acknowledged her conversations with Coogler and left the door open to returning, so far, Duchovny has been pretty quiet on the subject, though that could change as the reboot ramps up even more. We'll have to see. Even if he and Anderson do return in some capacity, it's likely to be in much more limited roles, as the series will focus on Deadwyler and Patel's fresh characters.

So far, Hulu has not set a date for the pilot episode, but we'll continue to cover news about The X-Files reboot as it unfolds.

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