If next week’s X-Files television series revival set to start this coming week had not happened, it is possible that franchise creator might have taken the FBI’s paranormal investigators Fox Maulder and Dana Scully back to the big screen for a third X-Files movie.
According to the Hollywood Reporter, Carter stated today that he has written a screenplay for a third X-Files movie.
“I actually wrote a third movie, just because I was interested in the idea of where that might go,” said Carter, who then thought of repurposing the script for the series. “I let my wife read the third movie, and she said ‘I think not for television.'”
Carter was speaking at the Television Critics Association press tour, hyping up interest for the new six episode revival that premiers on the FOX network on January 24. Carter also indicated that if there would be more X-Files in the future it would most likely be in the medium where it started – television.
The first X-Files film fell right between the cult series’ fifth and sixth seasons and is well regarded by the franchise’s fans for its deep dive into the show’s alien conspiracy mythology. The second X-Files film, I Want To Believe, came six years after the series ended. With a story that was more standalone from the convoluted storyline of the series, many fans were disappointed.
While I like both X-Files films and think that there are things in both to recommend them, I think that the best place for the franchise is on television. While I have some reservations as to whether this new reveal can capture the unique lightening in a bottle that energized the original series and its fans, I look forward to finding out next weekend.
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