There might be new X-Files from Black Panther director Ryan Coogler
Ryan Coogler, the director of Creed and both Black Panther films, may be eying another franchise for adaptation. Bloody Disgusting noticed that, in a recent interview with CBC’s On The Coast, X-Files creator Chris Carter mentioned Coogler was looking to “remount” the franchise.
He told On The Coast host Gloria Macarenko, “I just spoke to a young man, Ryan Coogler, who is going to remount The X-Files with a diverse cast.” Which makes sense. The X-Files was not a diverse show, though it did create one of pop culture’s standout heroines and kicked off more than its fair share of conversations about women in the sciences. Gillian Anderson’s Dana Scully seemed to inspire a whole generation of young women to become doctors and scientists as she used her own analytical skills to go toe-to-toe with David Duchovny’s Fox Mulder. It’s since been dubbed the “Scully Effect.”
Besides improving the diversity of the franchise (the later films and 2016 season of the show did a better job of diversifying the cast, but those sequels themselves were also… absolute garbage to watch), a new show will also need to tackle the way conspiracy theories have changed.
Since the show ended in 2002, dangerous conspiracy theories, fueled by extremely accessible misinformation online, have altered the course of our culture. Political figures like Donald Trump actively engage in popularizing conspiracy theories to delegitimize others and try to secure power. It’s no longer just stuff like little green men and a second gunman on the grassy knoll.
Carter has talked about the challenges of making the show in these current times and worried about his own role in popularizing conspiracy theories, which used to exist on the fringe of society, not at its nexus. But a director like Coogler could help recenter things, if his work on the Black Panther series is anything to go by.
But right now, the official status of his “remount” is unknown. So, like the show says, trust no one — at least until an official announcement is made.
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