The X Files: New reboot of classic sci-fi series recasts FBI Special Agents Mulder and Scully with stars of EastEnders and Euphoria

The truth is STILL out there!
Helen Fear

The X Files is coming back to television in a brand new reboot of the cult drama, eight years after it last aired.

In the drama, two very different FBI agents form a bond when they are assigned to a long-shuttered division devoted to cases involving unexplained phenomena.

The agents – FBI Special Agents Fox Mulder and Dana Scully – investigate unsolved unexplained cases known as The X Files. When the series first launched in 1993, the characters subsequently became two of the most iconic ever created. And now they are getting fresh faces.

Here’s everything we know about The X Files new reboot, including plot, cast, start date, and filming locations.

Gillian Anderson and David Duchovny as Dana Scully and Fox Mulder in The X Files
Gillian Anderson and David Duchovny as Dana Scully and Fox Mulder in the original The X Files (Credit: Fox)

Disney to air new The X Files reboot

The X Files started on Fox in 1993 with a small, dedicated following during its first two seasons. It eventually became a massive, mainstream cultural phenomenon running for 11 seasons until 2018. It won 16 Primetime Emmys, alongside hundreds of other awards, and spawned several (arguably less successful) films.

And now it’s coming back. Hulu has picked up The X Files new reboot, which will eventually air on Disney+ in the UK. As if that wasn’t intriguing enough, Ryan Coogler executive produces the project. The Oscar-winner is famous for writing and directing Black Panther, and its sequel Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, Creed, and Sinners. 

A reimagining of the classic series, the series follows 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. Their mission: The find the truth, which is out there somewhere!

Who’s playing Mulder and Scully in the cast?

Danielle Deadwyler and Himesh Patel take on the roles of FBI Special Agents Dana Scully and Fox Mulder in The X Files new reboot.

American actress Danielle Deadwyler, 44, is famous for playing Cuffee in BAFTA-winning outlaw film The Harder They Fall. She’s also portrayed the leading role of Mamie Till in Till, and conflicted mother Berniece in The Piano Lesson. More recently, Danielle starred as Dylan Shepherd in the Steve Carrell TV series Rooster, and popped up in Euphoria.

Meanwhile, Brit favourite Himesh Patel will play FBI Special Agent Fox Mulder. And we LOVE this casting. The Cambridgeshire-born actor 36, started off as Tamwar Masood, a role he played on and off between Eurylochus in Christopher Nolan’s 2026 film The Odyssey.

Although no other cast members have been announced, we’d be thrilled of any of the original actors popped up in cameos. Guest stars are rumoured to include Reservoir Dogs’ Steve Buscemi, Weapons’ Amy Madigan, and Six Feet Under’s Ben Foster.

Himesh Patel as Tamwar Masood in EastEnders
Himesh Patel has come a long way since playingTamwar Masood in EastEnders (Credit: BBC)

Who wrote The X Files?

Californian Chris Carter created The X Files, which went on to win the Golden Globe for Best Drama in 1995 and 1997. It was also Emmy-nominated three times for Best Drama, and winner of a Peabody Award for Excellence in Broadcasting. He acts as an executive producer on the upcoming series.

American filmmaker Ryan Coogler has now written, directed and executive produced the new series following a successful pilot. He recently won an Oscar for his vampire film Sinners, which starred Michael B Jordan.

Talking about the new drama, he said: “I’ve loved The X Files for a long time. So getting the chance to write and direct the pilot has meant a great deal to me. What Chris Carter created is special. And we wanted to honour everything that made the original series connect with so many people, while also finding our own way into that world.

“Danielle and Himesh, along with the rest of our cast, have brought such original perspectives and performances to these characters. Watching that come together has been one of the most rewarding parts of the experience.”

When is the start date?

As yet, Hulu and Disney have released very little solid information about the new The X Files reboot. We’re hoping for a 2027 release date.

Watch this space for more details when we get them. Like Mulder, we “want to believe” in this new project.

The X Files new reboot filming locations

Filming for the pilot of the new X Files began in May 2026 in Vancouver, Canada, under the working title Alphabet Soup.

Vancouver was also the filming location for the first five seasons of The X Files, as well as the 2016 revival and the feature films The X-Files (1998) and The X-Files: I Want To Believe (2008).

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The X Files will air on Disney+ in 2027 or beyond.