Ryan Coogler Says He's Working on 'X-Files' Reboot Next

Ryan Coogler says that the next project he’ll work on is a reboot of the X-Files.

During a recent episode of Last Podcast on the Left, Coogler revealed that once he wraps up his Sinners press tour, he’ll begin working on X-Files.

“I’m working on X-Files. That’s what’s immediately next,” Coogler said. “So, I’ve been excited about that for a long time, and I’m fired up to get back to it, and that, you know, some of those episodes, if we do our jobs right, will be really fucking scary.”

News first broke about Coogler working on the reboot back in 2023 when X-Files creator Chris Carter teased his involvement on the On The Coast podcast.

“I just spoke to a young man, Ryan Coogler, who is going to remount The X-Files with a diverse cast,” Carter shared. “So he’s got his work cut out for him, because we covered so much territory.”

X-Files is next for Coogler, but right now he’s wrapped up in the recent release of his film Sinners that currently sits at a 99 percent Certified Fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes. In an interview with GET REC’D with Straw Hat Goof on YouTube, Coogler revealed that the film Puss in Boots: The Last Wish served as an inspiration for Sinners.

"So I talk about influences in this movie [...] That's a massive one I love," he said about the Shrek spin-off. "Think about the villain Death, think about his defining features [the eyes], think about his demeanor.”

Coogler added that the influence was made even bigger by Louis Gonzales, an artist on his team who was employed by Pixar for almost 20 years and worked on several films like The Iron Giant and both Black Panther movies.

If right now’s about Sinners, and next for Coogler is X-Files, sometime in the far future, he’ll start working on Black Panther 3. Last November, Denzel Washington revealed that he’ll have a part in the film thanks to Coogler.

“I’ve played Othello at 22. I’m about to play Othello at 70,” Washington said on Australia’s Today Show. “After that, I’m playing Hannibal. After that, I’ve been talking with Steve McQueen about a film. After that, Ryan Coogler’s writing a part for me in the next Black Panther. After that, I’m gonna do the film Othello. After that, I’m gonna do King Lear. After that, I’m gonna retire.”