The X-Files is slated to return to Fox with a brand new batch of episodes in the not-too-distant future. The main members of the cast will be reprising their roles, and some new actors will be on board as well. We now know another actor who is slated to join the X-Files team in Season 11: Haley Joel Osment of The Sixth Sense fame landed a role, and he may see dead people.
Haley Joel Osment will appear as a guest star in the Season 11 episode that will revolve around the long-suffering Walter Skinner. We learned a few weeks ago that Skinner would be getting an origin story in Season 11, and series creator Chris Carter has revealed that the episode will feature a younger version of the character. TVLine reports that Fox has confirmed Haley Joel Osment's casting in the Skinner-centric episode, but no further details have been released at this point. It's possible that Osment will be playing the younger version of Skinner; it's also possible that he'll play another character in Skinner's past.
Assuming Haley Joel Osment's character appears in the origin story set in the past, he could very well see dead people, just in a distinctly different way than he did in The Sixth Sense. (Spoiler alert?) Skinner undoubtedly lost some people in his early days, and longtime fans know that many of his comrades-in-arms died when he was in Vietnam. Osment's character could see people who are dead in the present but were still alive in the Skinman's past. I know I wouldn't put it past The X-Files to throw in a nod to Osment's most famous role.
Of course, Haley Joel Osment has appeared in other projects since The Sixth Sense in 1999, even if he's best known for his performance as young Cole Sear. He joins a cast comprised of David Duchovny, Gillian Anderson, Mitch Pileggi, William B. Davis, Annabeth Gish, Lauren Ambrose, Robbie Amell, Barbara Hershey, and others. We already know what a big chunk of the revival will be about, and we have to hope that The X-Files will answer all of those lingering questions by the end of Season 11, as it's possible that Gillian Anderson will be ready to leave the role of Scully behind sooner rather than later.
The X-Files Season 11 will debut on Fox at some point in 2018. No exact premiere date has yet been announced, although it's expected early in the year. For what you can watch while we wait for more X-Files, swing by our fall TV premiere guide. You can catch the original run of The X-Files streaming on Hulu if you're now in the mood for a rewatch. The Sixth Sense is streaming on Netflix with Haley Joel Osment. Stay tuned to CinemaBlend for the latest in TV news.
