Himesh Patel has joined the cast of Ryan Coogler's Hulu reboot of The X-Files as the male lead, opposite Danielle Deadwyler. The duo will portray two highly decorated but different FBI agents assigned to investigate unexplained phenomena. Hulu ordered the pilot in February.
Ryan Coogler, who recently won an Oscar for best original screenplay for his film Sinners, will write and direct the pilot episode. Jennifer Yale, known for Outlander, serves as showrunner. Variety reports that Himesh Patel and Danielle Deadwyler are reuniting after co-starring in the HBO Max series Station Eleven, where Patel received an Emmy nomination. Their other credits include The Franchise and Avenue 5 for Patel. The original X-Files debuted on Fox in 1993, starring David Duchovny as Fox Mulder and Gillian Anderson as Dana Scully. It ran for nine seasons, inspired two feature films, and saw a revival in 2016 with two additional seasons. Series creator Chris Carter will executive produce the reboot, though Duchovny and Anderson are not attached to the pilot. Anderson has previously praised Coogler. The new series features agents who form an unlikely bond in a division long focused on unexplained cases, per the official description. This casting news comes amid other updates in television, including promotions and additions to shows like Tracker and Netflix's The Lord's Day.
