X-Files star Gillian Anderson wanted to believe. So did thousands of fans, who rallied to the #XFiles2015 hashtag to drum up support for the return of the classic sci-fi franchise.
Now Fox does too. Yes, Fox is actually looking at bringing back The X-Files, thanks to the overwhelming fan support that came in the wake of Anderson speaking about a comeback for the show on The Nerdist Podcast. Nerdist hosts Chris Hardwick and Matt Mira encouraged fans who supported Anderon's call for a reboot of the X-Files to use the #XFiles2015 hashtag, and boy did they ever.
Fox says it is currently in the "logistical phase" of rebooting the series. That means Fox is looking to make sure the original stars of the show, Anderson (Scully) and David Duchovny (Mulder), along with series creator Chris Carter, would be available at the same time for filming, as Fox is promising the show will not return without the original Mulder and Scully.
The X-Files originally ran on Fox between 1993-2002 for nine seasons. The show also spawned two films.
Duchovny told USA Today he's "more than happy and excited to bring it back and do it again with Gillian and Chris." Though Duchovny says he's excited about returning as Mulder, fans might not want to expect a full-blown return of the show. Instead, Duchovny hints it might be something more along the lines of a mini-series.
"I'm assuming that it will happen sooner rather than later now," he says. "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."
Another hurdle for the return of the show will be getting Carter on board. Though Fox has said Carter is interested in returning, they also said "he has a lot going on" and that the show would not move forward without him.
Even the idea that a simple Twitter hashtag could attract enough attention for Fox to seriously consider resurrecting a long dead show is an achievement in and of itself. If new episodes of X-Files do eventually hit the airwaves, you'll have social media and the power of the Internet to thank.
