Ryan Coogler Reportedly Considering a Theatrical Release for His The X-Files Pilot

There is a change in plans for Ryan Coogler‘s pilot for Hulu’s The X-Files reboot. It was previously planned to be released as a series, but now, based on a set photo, it is reported that the pilot was shot on 65mm film by Oscar-winning cinematographer Autumn Durald Arkapaw, who worked with Coogler on Sinners and served as the pilot’s director of photography.

Coogler wrote, directed, and produced the two-hour The X-Files pilot on 65mm film and is considering a theatrical release before the series moves forward.

On Instagram, user @deangoodine shared a set image featuring a Panavision 65mm rig on location in Vancouver, where the pilot has been filming under the working title “Alphabet Soup” since May 2026.

Coogler is writing and directing the The X-Files reboot pilot following his Oscar win for Sinners. He also serves as an executive producer. Original The X-Files creator Chris Carter is returning as an executive producer, while Jennifer Yale serves as the show’s showrunner and executive producer.

The pilot stars Himesh Patel and Danielle Deadwyler as two FBI agents who are brought together to reopen the X-Files and investigate strange paranormal cases. Hulu has also announced several guest stars, including Amy Madigan, Steve Buscemi, Ben Foster, Devery Jacobs, Lochlyn Munro, Tantoo Cardinal, Joel D. Montgrand, and Sofia Grace Clifton.

During the Happy Sad Confused podcast (via Esquire), Coogler said, “[The X-Files] is what I used to watch with my mom.” He added, “It’s one of the most beautiful American television shows ever made.”

Since its debut in 1993, The X-Files has spanned 11 seasons and two movies. David Duchovny and Gillian Anderson starred as FBI agents investigating mysterious and paranormal cases, while the series slowly built toward a larger story involving extraterrestrials.

Back in April, Duchovny told The Hollywood Reporter that he hadn’t read the script but had spoken with Coogler. “I wish them luck,” he said. “It’s a great framework that Chris Carter came up with all those years ago—a believer and a nonbeliever tackling these mysteries. I always thought it was endlessly generative.”