It’s official.
We previously reported that Danielle Deadwyler was in talks — and now it’s confirmed. The acclaimed actress has landed one of the two coveted lead roles in Hulu’s revival of The X-Files, which has officially received a pilot greenlight.
In a major move for the reimagined series, Sinners filmmaker Ryan Coogler is now confirmed to write and direct the pilot episode. The project hails from Onyx Collective and 20th Television.
The official logline reads:
“Two highly decorated but vastly different FBI agents form an unlikely bond when they are assigned to a long-shuttered division devoted to cases involving unexplained phenomena.”
One of those agents will be played by Deadwyler.
A New Chapter — With Familiar DNA
The logline echoes the foundation of the original Fox series, which premiered in 1993 and followed Agents Dana Scully and Fox Mulder as they investigated paranormal phenomena. However, the updated premise signals a tonal shift and potentially a broader lens on unexplained cases.
Original series creator Chris Carter will serve as a non-writing executive producer. Coogler will executive produce alongside Sev Ohanian and Zinzi Coogler under their Proximity Media banner, with Simone Harris as co-executive producer.
Jennifer Yale (The Copenhagen Test) has come on board as showrunner and executive producer.
This revival has been quietly developing for three years under Coogler’s five-year overall television deal with Disney. Carter first revealed in 2023 that Coogler was looking to “remount The X-Files with a diverse cast.” Coogler later confirmed the project himself, saying:
“Some of those episodes, if we do our jobs right, will be really f*cking scary… We’re gonna try to make something really great and really be something for the real X-Files fans, and maybe find some new ones.”
He also previously shared that he spoke with Gillian Anderson about the reboot during its early development.
Deadwyler’s Moment Continues
Deadwyler’s casting marks another major step in what has already been a strong run. She recently appeared in Netflix’s adaptation of The Piano Lesson, earning a Screen Actors Guild Award nomination, and in The Woman in the Yard. She’s also set for HBO’s upcoming third season of Euphoria and will lead HBO’s comedy series Rooster.
Her involvement signals that this won’t be a surface-level reboot — it’s aiming for prestige.
Coogler, Post-Sinners
The timing couldn’t be more strategic. Coogler is coming off a historic awards run with Sinners, which became the most-decorated film by a Black director in BAFTA history and earned 16 Oscar nominations. The film has grossed over $365 million globally, cementing his ability to balance scale with thematic depth.
Now, he’s stepping into one of television’s most iconic sci-fi properties — at a time when public interest in UFOs and UAPs is at a modern peak.
Between congressional hearings, political commentary, and renewed pop culture fascination with alien narratives, the world feels primed for this story again.
The Truth Is… Back
The original The X-Files ran for nine seasons and spawned two feature films and a 2016 revival. But this version isn’t just revisiting nostalgia — it’s reinterpreting legacy through a new creative lens.
And with Danielle Deadwyler officially on board and Ryan Coogler behind the camera, this reboot just went from “in development” to must-watch.
The hunt for the truth is officially back on.