New X-Files Promo Poster: Trust No One

At New York Comic-Con, the premiere of The X-Files revival series (which is set to take place this January) was met with a stellar reaction from fans and mixed reaction from critics. It can be said the biggest problem with the episode is that it basically exists to return the show to its status quo. But given that the series hasn’t been on TV for more than a decade, it makes sense for the show to come back with something akin to an introduction of the series.

The hope for the subsequent episodes is that once the foundation is re-laid, the show will be able to get back to doing what it does best, creeping people out in very creative ways. Luckily, based on the new promo that was just released this evening, the show seems to be doing just that.

 While this new promo doesn’t reveal much, the new footage on display is certainly convincing that this revival series might actually turn out to be okay. Seeing a return to form for two of TV’s best FBI agents is a welcome sight indeed.

But the promos weren’t the only X-Files related material to hit the web today, as the network also put out a brand new poster teasing the return of series favorite, The Cigarette Smoking Man:

In addition to this ad, three more brand new promos leaked onto the Internet. During the hour they were up, fans got a chance to see what else the show has cooking. From these short clips, it seem things will really be getting good once the premiere episode does its thing. Chris Carter and crew appear to have put a lot of effort into their new monster-of-the-week episodes (of which there will be four), and they may just be the most promising part of the show’s return.

The artfulness to the various pieces of X-Files marketing materials has also been something to enjoy about the campaign. It wasn’t too long ago the network graced viewers with an all-new animated promo that was equal parts adorable and creepy. So far, these have been terrific pieces of marketing that are really going to get the word out about the show, as we head into the thick of television’s fall season.

The X-Files returns January 24^th, 2016 after the NFC Championship Game on Fox. Watch the new X-Files Promo on YouTube:

Source: ScreenRant.Com.

90s TV revival: The X-Files and Twin Peaks are back!

That sounds like music to my ears. Two of the greatest and most beloved TV shows from all time will return next year.

X-Files wraps up filming as Twin Peaks preps production

As one ‘90s revival TV show wraps production, another ‘90 revival TV show begins production. Over in Vancouver, season 10 of The X-Files is about to finish up production, while Twin Peaks is heading back to Washington state for its own long overdue revival on Showtime. Back in the ‘90s, viewers had a love for both FBI agents and the supernatural, at least according to the popularity of The X-Files and Twin Peaks.

The X-Files followed the lives of FBI agents Fox Mulder (David Duchovny) and Dana Scully (Gillian Anderson) as they investigate the paranormal and uncover the US government’s conspiracy regarding extraterrestrials. The show had nine seasons, spawned two feature-length movies, a comic book series, and is returning to Fox with a revival mini-series, which will be considered the tenth season of the show.

The good times are back again! Gillian Anderson and David Duchovny in The X-Files Pilot, originally aired on September 10, 1993.

According to YVRshoots, David Duchovny just wrapped almost three months of filming in Vancouver. The actor shot his last scene with costars Gillian Anderson and Robbie Amell; the latter will be playing a new character in the series, Agent Miller. The fan-favorite Lone Gunmen were also spotted on the set, but unfortunately, no photographic evidence was provided.

Duchovny flew out of Vancouver today after his last scenes:

Leaving the couve and x 'twas a great stay see y'all soon http://t.co/KgMJMGl7iU—
David Duchovny (@davidduchovny) September 02, 2015

From Canada to Washington state, the crew for Twin Peaks has started prepping for that show’s revival. The creative minds of David Lynch and Mark Frost brought Twins Peaks to ABC in 1990 and the show featured some of the most interesting surrealism to grace any broadcast network. As Agent Dale Cooper (Kyle MacLachlan) investigates the murder of high schooler Laura Palmer, he finds that the town of Twin Peaks is not quite what it seems. 25 years after the show was cancelled prematurely, Showtime and David Lynch announced that the series would be revived on the cable network. Despite issues between Lynch and Showtime, the show is set to premiere in late 2016 or early 2017.

As first order of business, the production crew has taken over Twede’s Cafe, the same diner used in the original series. To return the cafe to its Twin Peaks look, the neon lighting has been removed from the Twede’s sign:

Going retro! #now #twinpeaks #TwinPeaks2017 http://t.co/i2fVc3Nku0—
Twin Peaks (@TwinPeaksArchve) September 01, 2015

While there’s no word on when actual shooting starts, actress Madchen Amick who played Shelley Johnson on the show teased her familiar waitress outfit on Twitter:

feelin kinda blue today… or should I say turquoise 😉
#twinpeaksseason3 #TPS3 @SHO_Network http://t.co/gfjYznFBF8—
Mädchen Amick (@madchenamick) September 01, 2015

It’s all happening again!

With Twin Peaks coming back to TV screens, fans will finally be able to get the answers they wanted from the show’s season 2 finale. Because of the show’s cancellation on ABC, the finale left viewers wondering what happened to their favorite FBI agent for 25 years. That’s a lot of years to be left wondering and will bring the expectations for the next season at an ultimate high.

While it has not been as long for X-Files fans, it’s also prudent to approach the new revival series with caution as the last time we saw Mulder and Scully in the film The X-Files: I Want To Believe, the story failed to address or touch upon any alien conspiracies and this ultimately left fans disappointed.

With shows like Twin Peaks and The X-Files sporting dedicated fanbases, the creators of each series will need to meet lofty expectations and it may be a challenge to please everyone at this stage. The X-Files returns on January 24th, 2016. Twin Peaks will continue either in late 2016 or early 2017. Source: Screen Rant.

Welcome to Twin Peaks

It’s hard to believe, but it’s true. One of TV’s most cherished cult series, Twin Peaks, will be returning to the small screen as a limited, nine-episode series on Showtime in 2016. The show’s creators, David Lynch and Mark Frost – who teased its return with “twin tweets” last week, each writing “Dear Twitter Friends: That gum you like is going to come back in style! #damngoodcoffee” – are currently working on scripts. Lynch is planning to direct each episode. The cast has yet to be revealed.

“The mysterious and special world of Twin Peaks is pulling us back,” Lynch and Frost said in a joint statement. “We’re very excited. May the forest be with you.”

Fans of the classic 1990s series will be happy to know that Kyle MacLachlan is now officially set to reprise his role as FBI Agent Dale Cooper! He commented his return in a twitter: “Better fire up that percolator and find my black suit.”

Frost confirmed the news with a tweet linking to a video on YouTube, which shows the series’ deceased prom queen character Laura Palmer pointing at the camera and snapping. The words “25 years later” and “2016” are superimposed around the welcome sign into the town Twin Peaks. The original series ran for two seasons, totaling 30 episodes, between 1990 and 1991 before ABC canceled it.

Lynch and Frost first considered revisiting the series about three years ago, inspired by a scene where Palmer said, “I’ll see you again in 25 years.” “That suddenly seemed like an entry point,” Frost recently told The New York Times. “Everything flowed from there.”

The original series centered FBI special agent Dale Cooper, played by Kyle MacLachlan, attempting to solve the murder of Laura Palmer, as he faced a number of supernatural phenomena. The residents of Twin Peaks were also notable for their strangeness, including characters who carried logs and a shadow universe where one character spoke backwards. Showtime plans to rebroadcast both seasons of the original series in advance of the new season.

The new season would be set in the present day and would carry forward the story line, accounting for the quarter century that has passed. It will go into production next year. “What more can I say – Twin Peaks with David Lynch and Mark Frost on Showtime in 2016!” the channel’s president, David Nevins, said in a statement. “To quote Agent Cooper, ‘I have no idea where this will lead us, but I have a definite feeling it will be a place both wonderful and strange.'”

A Blu-ray box set called Twin Peaks: The Entire Mystery, which collected both seasons of the series and the prequel movie Lynch made, Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me – along with 90 minutes of previously unseen footage – came out earlier this year. Source: Rolling Stone.

Star Wars, The X-Files and an old Jedi Master are back…

Well, a few months have passed since my last post here. But the return of Star Wars in theaters (Episode VII debuts in December) and the return of my favorite series of all time (The X-Files returns to TV next January), finally brought this old Jedi Master back in business…

The X-Files reunite: Mulder, Scully, Skinner and… Barack Obama???

If you are coming back from an abduction right now, maybe you don’t know yet, but the iconic TV series from the 90’s, The X-Files is being revived as a six-episode mini-series in 2016, much to the delight of sci-fi fans everywhere. The details surrounding the plots and the development of the show’s long-standing characters have been trickling out in tiny portions since the revival entered production.

Behind the truth: executive producer/creator Chris Carter directs the first episode with David Duchovny and Gillian Anderson returning as Mulder and Scully.

Gillian Anderson, who portrays Agent Dana Scully, has been Tweeting behind the scenes X-Files revival set pics all summer, keeping fans in the loop on the show’s developments. The lastest pics from Gillian has given fans a long awaited reunion between Agents Mulder (David Duchovny) and Scully with (current? Former?) Assistant F.B.I. director Walter Skinner (Mitch Pileggi).

Pileggi, who portrayed Walter Skinner in the previous nine seasons of The X-Files as well as the two feature film adaptations, was confirmed to be returning for the show’s revival by David Duchovny, but it’s nice to finally see him and the series’ leads reunited on set. The comical photobomb by President Obama’s portrait in the backround seems to indicate the photo was taken at F.B.I. headquarters and we are left assuming that Skinner is still working for the bureau… and maybe even enjoying a promotion?

Best photo bomb in @thexfiles history! @davidduchovny @MitchPileggi1 @BarackObama pic.twitter.com/1tZAdAgtR1

— Gillian Anderson (@GillianA) August 19, 2015

There is no word of F.B.I. Director Alvin Kersh returning to his X-Files role as of yet, but the obligation that actor James Pickens, Jr. has to Grey’s Anatomy these days may keep him from doing so. Skinner taking over as Director of the F.B.I. would certainly be a logical event that would further illustrate the time jump from previous seasons of the show. Skinner’s co-conspirator, “The Cigarette Smoking Man” (William B. Davis), is also coming back, though these days it may in fact be the “Vigorously Vaping Man” (which doesn’t quite have the same level of mystique).

Skinner is on team X-Files nowadays, but it wasn’t always so chummy between Pileggi’s character and Agents Mulder and Scully.  Skinner, when he debuted in the first season of the series, was hard on Agent Mulder because he felt that his belief in alien life was absurd. Events slowly opened Skinner’s eyes and by the seventh season he too came to believe in life from other worlds, when he witnessed a UFO with his own eyes. Skinner initially took orders from behind the scenes forces like “The Cigarette Smoking Man”, but would end up defying his shady superiors and siding with Mulder and Scully, saving their lives on more than one occasion.

Mitch Pileggi may not have been seen much as Skinner over the past 16 years, but he has managed to land roles in several major high-profile and fan favorite shows like Supernatural, Castle, Medium, Stargate: Atlantis and perhaps his most memorable role in recent years, that of scumbag Neo-Nazi leader Ernest Darby on Sons of Anarchy (he even appeared on Grey’s Anatomy opposite Pickens Jr.). Hopefully, like the X-Files revival in general, Pileggi’s return to this small screen here will be one worth welcoming.

The X-Files will return to Fox on Sunday, January 24th, 2016.

The truth is still out there

Rumors of a possible return of Mulder and Scully has emerged on the Internet since the last appearance of the duo in the 2007 film to theaters The X–Files I Want to Believe, but the failure of the film at the box office and the disinterest of the fans threw to the ground the chances of a new film or the return of the show to television. In 2013, during the celebrations of the 20 years of The X-Files, new rumors about a return to TV again popping up on the Internet, but this was only confirmed last March, when Fox announced the official return of The X-Files and what is more important with executive producer/creator Chris Carter and stars David Duchovny and Gillian Anderson in the fold, and now all involved are assembling in Vancouver to start production on the six-episode miniseries.

We still don’t know too much about the series’ return, but it is expected to include Skinner (Mitch Pileggi) and Cigarette Smoking Man (William B. Davis), and Joel McHale was recently added to the ensemble as a newcomer. The Community actor will play a conservative anchor of a popular internet news network who becomes an unlikely ally for Mulder.

Some months ago, Entertainment Weekly has released exclusive photos from the set of The X-Files revival season, showing returning Agents Mulder and Scully (David Duchovny and Gillian Anderson) as well as series creator/director Chris Carter, and revealing the name of the first episode, “My Struggle”.

In the photos, we also see Sveta (played by Annet Mahendru, The Americans) “who believes she is regularly abducted by aliens” and a conservative talk show host (Joel McHale, Community) who “asks Mulder and Scully to do some paranormal investigating.”

The truth is out there: David Duchovny and Gillian Anderson are back as Mulder e Scully. Photo: Ed Araquel/Fox.

Gillian Anderson, Joel McCale, and David Duchovny. Photo: Ed Araquel/Fox.

Annet Mahendru and Gillian Anderson. Photo: Ed Araquel/Fox.

The scripts for the first episode, titled “My Struggle”. Photo: Ed Araquel/Fox.

X-Files creator Chris Carter at a production meeting. Photo: Ed Araquel/Fox.

But while plot details are under wraps, there’s still plenty to be excited about.  Gillian Anderson recently tweeted a picture of her new/familiar hair color, while David Duchovny got in on the anticipation with a photo of his own. Chris Carter, meanwhile, brings it home with an image of a slate teasing a “UFO test”, confirming that he’ll be behind the camera for at least the first episode of the limited series run.

Check out the teaser photos below from Anderson, Duchovny, Carter, and executive producer Glen Morgan, and do your best to contain your enthusiasm — the revival’s January 24, 2016 premiere date is still a long ways away.

👽 💋 http://t.co/pORr3xrg31—
Gillian Anderson (@GillianA) June 06, 2015

Hello Vancouver ? Mulder? Here I come… http://t.co/rXza7Os7oL—
David Duchovny (@davidduchovny) June 04, 2015

Huh. All this time I suspected it might be a huge practical joke. Guess not. #XFilerevival Still might be, I suppose. http://t.co/VX70rbaMRm—
Glen Morgan (@GlenMrgn) June 02, 2015

Don't want to be obnoxious and burn everyone out, but wanted to share this sight. Made me a bit emotional. http://t.co/dDQulmktXi—
Glen Morgan (@GlenMrgn) June 02, 2015

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A post shared by Chris Carter (@chriscarter1013)

Sources for text and photos: Collider, Screenrant, EW. Recommended reading:5 mysteries we hope the “X-Files” reboot will resolve.

X Files 20th Anniversary: Letters to the fans

Gillian Anderson’s 20th anniversary message to X-Files fans

Read another letters from ex-members from the X Files crew:

The X Files: 20 years, 20 facts

It’s hard to believe its been 20 years since “The X-Files” creeped us out and blew our collective minds. So what better way to commemorate the iconic series than with some weird and wild factoids? So while we celebrate the show’s 20th anniversary this week (yep, it’s been that long!), marvel at 20 wild and weird facts you might not know about “The X Files”.

1. Their badges don’t say Federal Bureau of Investigation

Even if you’re making it for a TV prop, it’s still illegal to make a fake FBI badge. So, if you look closely, those badges say: The Federal Bureau of Justice, United States Department of Investigation.”

2. William B. Davis (Cigarette Smoking Man) was Lucy Lawless’ acting coach

The show’s mystery man started out as Lawless’ acting coach. Of course, veteran genre actor Lawless played Shannon McMahon on The X-Files.

3. Callum Keith Rennie almost played Alex Krycek

Rennie (Memento, Blade Trinity) turned down the recurring role of antagonist Alex Krycek, which was then portrayed by Nicholas Lea. But, when the latest The X-Files movie rolled around, Rennie accepted the role of “Janke Dacyshyn.”

4. The X-Files stopped Scully from being Clarice Starling in Hannibal

Gillian Anderson (Dana Scully) based her matter-of-fact FBI character on Jodie Foster’s performance as Clarice Starling in The Silence of the Lambs. She was so good at it, they built a clause into her contract that would prevent her play another FBI agent. So, when that Hannibal flick happened, she was briefly in the running to play the new Clarice — but was eliminated because of her contract.

5. Originally, the show was supposed to end in season 5 to make way for a series of movies

Chris Carter first planned to wrap the show after season five, then jump straight into a series of movies. But, Fox decided the series was too popular, so they allowed Carter to make the first The X-Files movie in-between seasons five and six. As most fans would agree, the show suffered from the overload, as Carter tried to balance the standalone concepts of a film with the serialized nature of the ongoing series.

6. They used some wacky fake magazines and newspapers

Like most TV shows, The X-Files used fake magazines and newspapers. But, unlike most TV shows, they had a boatload of fun with the concept. Just check out the above screen grab, especially the upper-right headline tease, seing in the third season’s episode “The Pusher”. 

7. Duchovny and Anderson went behind the camera

Throughout the show’s lengthy run, both David Duchovny and Gillian Anderson moved behind the camera a few times to write and direct some episodes of the series. Duchovny directed “Hollywood A.D.” and “The Unnatural”. Anderson directed “All Things”, and became the first woman to direct an episode of The X-Files.

8. The Filter connection

Robert Patrick (Agent John Doggett) is the brother of Filter lead singer Richard Patrick. The band’s songs have been used throughout the series, as well as in the film soundtrack.

9. Scully kept it in the family

When the producers needed an actress to play young Scully in a flashback for the 5th season’s episode “Christmas Carol”, they turned to Gillian Anderson’s real-life little sister Zöe to make sure the family resemblance made sense.

10. “Irresistible”: The episode so creepy it was rejected

The initial script of this seaosn two episode focused on a necrophiliac, which the network deemed “unacceptable for broadcast standards.” So, they toned the baddie down to a death fetishist, which finally squeaked by the network standards.

11. Future comedy stars made some early cameos

During its lengthy run, The X-Files had more than its fair share of guest stars. Early on, future comedy megastars Jack Black and Luke Wilson had bit parts in seasons three and five, respectively.

12. Leyla Harrison was named after a fan

After a beloved fan-fiction writer died of cancer, the writers created/named the character Leyla Harrison in her honor. The young, eager FBI agent was a huge fan of Mulder and Scully.

13. Mitch Pileggi’s (Skinner) wife was Scully’s stand-in

Pileggi met his wife Arlene Warren while working on the series. Warren was Scully’s stand-in, and eventually had a role as Skinner’s secretary Arlene.

14. Scully was only abducted because Gillian Anderson was pregnant

Remember when Scully was abducted in season two, and that experience goes on to be a crucial plot point? Well, it only happened because Anderson got pregnant, and the writers needed a way to explain her absence.

15. Gillian Anderson stood on a box most of the time

As strange as it sounds, Gillian Anderson (Scully) spent most of her time on the series standing on a box — due to the fact that she’s just a little over 5 feet tall — and a full 10 inches shorter than David Duchovny (Mulder). So, to balance them out, the producers made a special box for her to stand on, which would make them closer to the same height.

16. What Scully’s tattoo represents

Scully’s tattoo made in the 4th season’s episode “Never Again”, is the mythical serpent called Uroboros biting its tail, which symbolizes the infinity of life and the universe, and the constant cycle of destruction and creation.

17. Cigarette Smoking Man was supposed to be a one-off role

When the mysterious character was introduced, Carter hadn’t planned on keeping him around. But, Carter was so impressed with William B. Davis that he decided to keep him around and make him a central figure.

18. ”I Made This”

The little theme slogan that plays over the Ten Thirteen Productions logo, aka “I Made This,” was spoken by Nathan Couturier, son of the supervising sound editor Thierry Couturier.

19. The iconic theme was created by accident

The beloved opening theme for the series was created almost by accident, after composer Mark Snow rested his elbow on the keyboard with the “echo” function on. He like the creepy vibe, and used it to make the theme we all know and love.

20. Origin of “Mulder” and Scully”

The character Dana Scully was named after famed sportcaster Vin Scully. While Mulder is the maiden name of Chris Carter’s mother.