‘X-Files’ Animated Spinoff Series Gets The Chop, Will Not Move Forward
Hot on the heels of an announcement that an X-Files reboot is in the works with Black Panther director Ryan Coogler attached to the project, it has now been stated that a proposed animated spinoff series is no longer scheduled for production. The series, titled The X-Files: Albuquerque, has been given the chop by Fox, and will no longer be moving forward.
Fox announced the series as far back as August of 2020, which makes news of its demise somewhat surprising. According to TVLine.com, Fox declined to comment on the reason for the cancelation, though it may have something to do with the fact that Coogler’s new X-Files show would not be produced under that network. Perhaps this is a signal that the rights to the franchise have been sold, though not yet publicly announced. This, of course, is speculation.
The series, which would have been executive produced by original X-Files creator Chris Carter, was set to focus on an office of agents tasked with investigating cases deemed too crazy and off-the-hook even for Mulder or Scully to tackle. The series was also designed to be a comedy in the same overall style as shows like Star Trek: Lower Decks, which parodied its parent franchise.
Paradise PD writers Rocky Russo and Jeremy Sosenko were originally on board to write the pilot episode, and stick with the show through its run. Animation studio Bento Box (Bob’s Burgers, Harold & Kumar, Central Park) was scheduled to handle all art and animation.
The original X-Files show ran from 1993 to 2002, and included two full-length feature films in 1998 and 2008. The series went on the backburner for years, until it was revived in 2016, and later in 2018. Those two seasons left the story wide open with nothing in the way of actual closure. The departure of star Gillian Anderson from the series has left the overall X-Files story in a state of perpetual limbo, with no wrap-up in sight.
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The internal shakeups at the heart of the X-Files franchise suggest the series is essentially dead in its current form, which means it has been relegated to the proverbial nostalgia museum. What started out as a quirky, eerie, and endearing series surrounding the mysteries of the paranormal has since morphed into a confusing and jumbled mess where the large-scale conspiracy narrative was turned inward on its main characters.
With Albuquerque now officially wearing cement boots, there’s no path left for The X-Files aside from Ryan Coogler’s reboot, which is sure to be a hollowed out imposter of the original show. Meanwhile, Mulder and Scully will be remembered for a two-season revival that ended with total ambiguity, damning their fates to the disappointed imaginations of millions of previously adoring fans.
It’s amazing how quickly franchises can fly off the rails and end up in the parking lot.
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