Ryan Coogler‘s highly anticipated X-Files reboot just got a whole lot bigger.
Hulu’s reboot has cast eight actors in guest roles. These include Oscar winner Amy Madigan and Steve Buscemi. Ben Foster, Devery Jacobs, and Lochlyn Munro are also joining. The cast includes Tantoo Cardinal, Joel D. Montgrand, and Sofia Grace Clifton.
The group joins previously announced leads Himesh Patel and Danielle Deadwyler. They play two highly decorated but vastly different FBI agents. These agents form an unlikely bond. They are assigned to a long-shuttered division. This division is devoted to unexplained phenomena.
Big Additions to the Cast
Madigan is coming in hot off a major career moment. She starred as Aunt Gladys in Zach Cregger‘s hit horror film Weapons, which grossed $270 million worldwide. That role earned her an Oscar, an Actor Award, and a Critics’ Choice Award. She can next be seen in James Ponsoldt‘s Apple film Sponsor, opposite Jason Segel and John C. Reilly.
Buscemi brings his own impressive resume to the table. He starred on HBO’s Boardwalk Empire as Atlantic City kingpin Nucky Thompson and recently appeared in season 2 of Netflix’s Wednesday. Next up, he’ll star opposite John Malkovich and Sam Rockwell in Martin McDonagh‘s feature Wild Horses Nine for Searchlight this fall.
Emmy nominee Foster recently starred opposite Sydney Sweeney in the boxing film Christy, about the life of Christy Martin. Jacobs is best known for her work on the FX comedy Reservation Dogs. That series aired for three seasons. It ran from 2021 to 2023. Munro has starred in projects from A Night at the Roxbury and Scary Movie. He also appeared in The Predator and Peacemaker. Cardinal is recognized for her roles in Dances With Wolves and Killers of the Flower Moon. She also appeared in Marvel’s Echo. Montgrand’s credits include True Detective: Night Country, and Clifton had a recurring role on The Muppets Mayhem.
At this time, no details have been revealed about the specific roles any of the new actors will play.
Behind the scenes, the production is stacked. Coogler recently won an original screenplay Oscar for Sinners. He is writing and directing the pilot. He also serves as executive producer. The project is an Onyx Collective Studio and 20th Television production. Original X-Files creator Chris Carter is also on board as an executive producer. Jennifer Yale serves as showrunner and EP, with Sev Ohanian and Zinzi Coogler producing under the Proximity Media banner.
Filming on the pilot is set for May and June 2026 in Vancouver, BC. Gillian Anderson has already praised the pilot script, while David Duchovny has said talks about a potential appearance have happened, though nothing is confirmed yet.
On the podcast The Last Podcast on the Left, Coogler stated that he had “spoken to the great Gillian Anderson” about the series, adding, “She’s incredible. Fingers crossed there.”
The original X-Files starred David Duchovny as FBI Special Agent Fox Mulder and Gillian Anderson as Dr. Dana Scully, a skeptic assigned to debunk his work on paranormal cases. The pilot for this new chapter is being cast by Sinners casting director Francine Maisler. No release date has been confirmed yet.
