14 DAY TRIAL // Great news to start the day: Fox has just confirmed that “X-Files,” the iconic TV show featuring FBI special agents Mulder and Scully, is getting a reboot, years after it ended and also years after fans started heavily campaigning for it to come back, if only for a one-time special.
The show ran between 1993 and 2002 and spanned 2 feature films, with talk about a possible third always in the air. Most recently, David Duchovny and Gillian Anderson said they’d be willing to reprise their roles for a third film at the San Diego Comic-Con in 2013.
The series is coming back
No word yet on whether a third film will ever be made, but Fox TV Group Chairman Gary Newman has confirmed that the network has been talking about rebooting the series, Deadline informs.
Seeing how “24” came back for just one season on the same network and was a hit, and Showtime is bringing back “Twin Peaks” in 2016 after 25 years, also for just one season, it’s clear that interest in such projects is high.
Demand from fans to give the “X-Files” another lease on life has been high for years, so the project should be a priority with the network, now that we know that it’s coming back.
Newman said that, so far, there had only been talks with series creator Chris Carter and the two leading stars to see if their schedules would make a reunion possible ASAP. They had not talked about the direction the show would take or any other creative aspects yet.
Still, he said, he was “hopeful about the outcome.” “Carter hinted at a possible reboot in the summer, acknowledging he had had conversations with Fox and 20th Century Fox TV, the studio behind X-Files,” Deadline notes.
If everything falls into place regarding scheduling and creative issues, progress on the reboot should be fast.
Reboots of iconic TV series are so hot right now
As noted above, there is a very high demand for reboots of classic TV series, as we’ve already seen with “24” and “Twin Peaks.” These 2 and “The X-Files” are considered cult shows and have a very loyal following online, which has more than done its share of making TV bosses understand that such an undertaking would be worth the money, the time and the effort.
The fact that Duchovny and Anderson have been saying for years that they would reprise their roles at the drop of a hat and a moment’s notice, mostly because they too believed their characters deserved better closure than they got, must have tipped the scales in favor of the reboot.
Fans are hoping for an official announcement and an exact premiere date any day now.