With all the buzz surrounding Ryan Coogler’s new vampire thriller, Sinners, starring Michael B. Jordan, the director is reminding everyone that his highly anticipated X-Files reboot is still very much on his radar – and at the top of his to-do list, no less.

In a recent episode of Last Podcast on the Left (via Screen Rant), Coogler revealed that he plans to dive into The X-Files as soon as the dust settles from his Sinners press tour.

“I’m working on X-Files. That’s what’s immediately next,” Coogler said. “So, I’ve been excited about that for a long time, and I’m fired up to get back to it, and that, you know, some of those episodes, if we do our jobs right, will be really fucking scary.”

While details about Coogler’s take on the iconic sci-fi series are scarce, show creator Chris Carter has mentioned that the Black Panther director intends to reboot The X-Files with a diverse cast.

Since the last major update on the project in 2021, when Coogler’s production company, Proximity, signed a five-year deal to create television content for Disney, it’s understandable that fans might have assumed the reboot had quietly fallen by the wayside. The last time The X-Files revival brought Agents Dana Scully and Fox Mulder back to our screens was back in 2018.

Gillian Anderson, who played Scully, has expressed ambivalence about returning to the series, but has also said she wouldn’t rule out working with Coogler, whom she described as “a bit of a genius” in a 2024 appearance on the Today show.

“Whether I am involved in it is a whole other thing. I’m not saying no. I think he’s really cool and I think if he did it, it would probably be done incredibly well,” Anderson said at the time. “And maybe I’ll pop in for a little something something.”

When asked about the possibility of Anderson’s return, Ryan Coogler didn’t make any promises, instead expressing his excitement for her upcoming role in Tron: Ares. However, he left fans with a glimmer of hope.

“I’ve spoken to the great Gillian,” Coogler told Last Podcast on the Left. “She’s incredible. Fingers crossed there … When I spoke to her, she was finishing [Tron: Ares] up. But, yeah, but we’re gonna try to make something really great … and really be something for the real X-Files fans, you know what I’m saying? And, maybe, find some new ones.”

Regardless of whether Scully returns, Coogler is likely to deliver something compelling with The X-Files. His ability to put a fresh spin on familiar tales, whether it’s Marvel superheroes or the timeless allure of vampires, speaks for itself.

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