Thirty years after the filming of the first episode of The X-Files—and five years since its recent two-season revival—the franchise may be making a comeback. Chris Carter, who originated the series, said this week that Ryan Coogler is set to take over as director.

The surprising news came in a podcast interview for On the Coast With Gloria Macarenko, when Carter reflected “We’re so steeped in conspiracies now. The X-Files dealt with a central conspiracy, but now the world is so full of conspiracies that I think it would be a different show. …  Actually, I just spoke to a young man, Ryan Coogler, who is going to remount The X-Files with a diverse cast. So he’s got his work cut out for him, because we covered so much territory.

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Coogler recently directed the two Black Panther films and Creed, fueling speculation that the new episodes might have a more racially mixed cast and situations. The first Black Panther film, released in 2018, set box-office records to become the highest-grossing film by an African American director.  The 36-year old Coogler made his feature debut in 2013, with the independent film Fruitvale Station.

Back in 2021, the director’s production company, Proximity, inked a five-year deal to develop programming for Disney’s channels and streaming services, increasing the likelihood that Coogler might be involved in The X-Files project, moving forward. Neither Disney nor Coogler have yet commented on the story.

The X-Files themselves have undergone changes over the years. The original show, which starred David Duchovny and Gillian Anderson, ended in 2002, then returned in 2016 and 2018.

The first movie version debuted in 1998, with a sequel coming out a decade later. At the movies, the first film was released in 1998 and the second one 10 years later in 2008.

In 2020, it was reported that an animated spinoff was being developed, titled The X-Files: Albuquerque, but nothing has yet materialized.

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