The truth has been out there for a long time now. In this particular case, the “truth” is that David Duchovny wants to return to the conspiracy-driven world of The X-Files whenever possible. While it used to be all movie-focused, the recent news about Fox’s plans to revive the series with creator Chris Carter, combined with the success of limited TV series, means Duchovny is totally into returning to the suit-and-tie duds of Fox Mulder on the small screen. For a little while, anyway.
Duchovny spoke with USA Today about his interest in getting Mulder back in front of TV audiences again, and he said he is “more than happy” to be a part of the show returning with Carter and co-star Gillian Anderson. In his words:
I’m assuming that it will happen sooner rather than later now. We’ll see what form, how many [episodes]. Certainly I can’t nor would I be interested in doing a full season. It will be in some kind of limited form. We’re all old, we don’t have the energy for a full season.”
Duchovny jokes there, but the 54-year-old only last year finished his run as Californication’s Hank Moody, a character who lived like he was half his age most of the time. I guess there’s something about having aliens popping in and about that just makes one feel older. His assurances do goes a long way here, compared to how far his positivity for the implausible third feature went, especially considering Fox wanted him and Anderson back. Three cheers for more Mulder! (Morelder?)
Carter is in early talks with Fox (not Mulder) on getting the ball rolling, so it’s unclear when negotiations will be made or when a script will surface. There’s no doubt Carter has a UFO-shaped filing cabinet awkwardly filled with notes on where he’d have liked to take Mulder and Scully’s stories if he got the chance. Pulling in ideas and creating new ones will certainly take some time, and both Duchovny and Anderson have other impending gigs that presumably won’t allow for much, if any, production crossover.
We’ll get to see David Duchovny as another kind of law enforcement on NBC’s series Aquarius, in which he plays a 1960s L.A. cop who’s got his eye on Charles Manson during the time leading up to the Tate-LaBianca murders. That’ll be filming 13 episodes later this year at some point. Gillian Anderson is currently in production on Season 3 of NBC’s Hannibal. Obviously NBC has been secretly against Fox getting an X-Files revival for some time now! I think every other network was in on it, too! And those bees from the first movie, too!
Here’s hoping Fox gives this X-Files comeback at least as many episodes as 24: Live Another Day, which had twelve. And if it gets some kind of an extended life like 24 may, I’m all for that, too.
