The X-Files 2: All Things Come Full Circle |
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| Written by Kevin Johns |
| Thursday, 31 January 2008 19:00 |
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On November 1, 2007, it was officially announced by 20th Century Fox that a new X-Files movie would begin shooting in a mere month’s time. Series creator Chris Carter is directing the film, based on a script that he wrote with long time collaborator Frank Spotnitz. The movie is scheduled to be released on June 25, 2008; ten years, almost to the day, since I pinned a homemade FBI badge to my best black suit, handcuffed a blowup alien to my wrist, and headed to the theaters to see The X-Files: Fight the Future, the first feature film based on my favourite television series of all time. 
Illustration by Kirk DesRosier
The X-Files premiered on September 10, 1993, on the then-fledging America FOX network, and it was not an immediate hit. (The show finished its first season 102nd out of the 118 shows in the U.S. Nielsen ratings!) Given today’s standards,The X-Files would have been axed after only three episodes, but in the early 1990s, television serials were still given a chance to slowly develop an audience over time. Season One of The X-Files clearly established the show’s mood, look and approach to storytelling. Highly influenced by films like The Exorcist, which presented supernatural narratives within a realistic and believable context, The X-Files was able to appeal to both genre geeks and mainstream audiences. By the premiere of its second season, the number of regular viewers was growing rapidly and catch phrases like “The Truth is Out There,” and “Trust No One” were beginning to permeate the popular consciousness. The X-Files continued to draw viewers as Seasons Two and Three progressed, and managed to tap into the cultural zeitgeist in a significant way, positioning itself at the center of a cultural, artistic, political and intellectual nexus. A growing interest in feminism and mid-90s ‘girl power,’ the rise of the ‘metrosexual’ male, a renewed fascination in the possibility of extraterrestrial life, the spread of new age spiritualism, a growing cynicism towards government representatives, the popular birth of cell phones and internet communication technology, along with the massive spread of on-line culture, all influenced and were likewise influenced by the series. By it’s fourth season, The X-Files (now FOX’s number one show) was an undeniable cultural phenomenon, and its stars, Gillian Anderson and David Duchovny, were household names. The series won Golden Globes and Emmys and drew massive critical appeal and media attention. The twelfth episode of Season Four, “Leonard Betts,” aired directly after the Super Bowl, was watched by 29 million people. At this point, I (like so many other X-Philes around the world) was entrenched in a Friday night ritual of obsessively videotaping every episode on my VCR. At the same time, FOX’s home video division had begun releasing waves of box sets, with three VHS tapes per box, each containing two episodes, along with Chris Carter interview clips and collectible trading cards. In the days before DVDs, these “special features” were a rare treat for fans. (The X-Files would go on to become the first television series ever to release an entire season on DVD, in May of 2000). At this same time, Topps publishing was producing comic books that were both adaptations of episodes and original stories. Novels based on the series were being produced in a similar manner. CDs of composer Mark Snow’s dark and ambient synthesized music, as well as music inspired by the series, were likewise released. Before long, video games and CD ROMs based on the series would be available. X-Files merchandise was everywhere, and as Season Four came to a close, the creators of the series began ramping up for what would become the most eagerly anticipated ancillary product of them all: a feature film. Though filmed during the summer of 1997, after Season Four, fans had to wait an entire year before the movie was finally released the next summer, following the conclusion of Season Five.
Fight the Future marked the high point for the series. After a strong campaign by David Duchovny, production of the show moved from Vancouver to Los Angeles beginning with the sixth season, and was never quite the same. The beautiful and eerie forests of British Columbia, which had characterized the look of the show, were replaced by southern California’s bleak and vacant desert landscapes. The brilliant cast of unknown Vancouver thespians that had for years imbued the show with a sense of dire realism was replaced by a slew of familiar character actors and recognizable Hollywood guest stars. As the later seasons of the series unfolded, Duchovny would leave the show, then return, then leave again. This placed Gillian Anderson in the difficult spot of playing both skeptic and believer at the same time, or violently oscillating between the two, depending on the episode. By the final season she was appearing only in a supporting capacity. The replacement leads, Robert Patrick and Anabeth Gish, did an admirable job in their attempts to carry the series sans Mulder and Scully, but by the ninth and final season, most of the wind had gone out The X-Files sails. The show had begun with a modest, but rabid, fan base and it finished its run the same way. X-Philes, like myself, still watched (and taped!) each and every episode, but we all understood that nine years was a great run and that nothing can go one forever. The series finale aired on May 19, 2002, and Duchovny returned for the episode, so that Mulder and Scully could be united for one last time… Or not. Duchovny had long been clear about his desire to spin the show into a series of films (a la Star Trek), and at various times key players, including Anderson, Carter and Spotnitz, had echoed this aspiration. Almost immediately after airing of the final episode, rumors began to circulate about when a sequel to Fight the Future might begin shooting. At least once a year, for several years, someone would make a statement in the media regarding how it was “really going to happen” this time. These announcements would always be followed by a resounding silence and dearth of confirmation details. Then, in late 2005, Chris Carter became embroiled in a breach of contract legal dispute with FOX regarding syndication payments and it seemed hopeless to think that there might ever be another film. It took nearly two years for Carter and FOX to reach an out of court settlement. Then, in early summer 2007, there were suggestions, yet again, that Chris Carter and Frank Spotnitz were, perhaps, working on a script. Soon David Duchovny was making vague references to the very real possibility of a new X-Files film. In mid-August, Gillian Anderson announced that she would no longer be appearing in the movie Helen, which she had long been scheduled to star in as the title character. Anderson's withdrawal from Helen was the best evidence yet that a new X-Files film might finally become a reality. Indeed, all evidence seemed to suggest that it was going to happen, but in the wacky world of Hollywood, nothing is a definite, rumours can never be trusted, and deals can always fall through. X-Philes anticipating another movie had long ago learned that when it comes to the Hollywood rumour mill, it's best to Trust No One. Fans across the globe waited with bated breath as summer turned to fall, but no news was heard and no gossip leaked. The leaves on the trees turned from emerald to auburn, and then fell to the ground, and still there was no news. It was a long three months. Finally, on November 1, 2007, the official announcement, which we had all been waiting years to hear, was finally made. Fans everywhere breathed a collective sigh of relief. The impossible scenario had become a reality: The X-Files 2 was going to be made. The speed at which things have moved following the announcement has been truly startling. On December 10, 2007, Chris Carter and crew began shooting the new movie in Vancouver. By the second day, set photos featuring actors David Duchovny, Amanda Peet and Xzibit had already circulated the internet. After taking a few weeks off for the holidays, the crew once again began shooting in the early January 2008… this time with Gillian Anderson at Duchovny’s side. On January 17, 2008, 20th Century FOX provided www.comingsoon.net with the first official images from The X-Files 2: Mulder and Scully were together again. It is an exciting time to be an X-Phile. While staring at those images, it is hard to believe that only four months ago, there was no confirmation whatsoever that there was even going to be a movie. It is even harder to believe that it has taken ten years for the X-files to come full circle. Ten years since I got excited about leaked set photos and plotline gossip, ten years since those “Mulder…run!” trailers first went online, ten years since those stark and beautiful “Fight” and “Future” teaser posters were released, ten years since I hoped against hope that an X-Files film would live up to my dreams. Fight the Future was certainly not the greatest film of all time, but it was a major landmark in my life, one of those sign posts that you can note and say, “Here’s where it all peaked. Right here is the high water mark of the 1990s.” In the summer of 1998, there was no better place to be than sitting in a dark air-conditioned movie theatre, with a bag of popcorn on your lap, staring up at the screen, and watching Mulder and Scully do their thing. Here’s hoping it’s the same in 2008.
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The X-Files: Fight the Future attempted a nearly impossible balancing act. The movie had to function as a continuation of the Season Five storyline (which included the burning down of Mulder’s office and the closing of the X-files), but also work as a standalone movie. It had to live up to the expectations of millions of die-hard fans with in-depth knowledge of the show’s complex mythology, but also needed to be completely accessible to new viewers with no previous knowledge of the series. It had to live up to a prevalent marketing campaign that promised, “This summer… the truth will be revealed,” while at the same time maintaining the various mysteries that served as the backbone of the television series. Director Rob Bowman, who helmed many of best X-Files episodes, did a fantastic job maintaining the show’s distinct visual palette, while opening the story up to the possibilities offered by the wide screen. The movie was generally well received by critics, such as James Rocchi, who said of the film, “The whole enterprise is constructed of equal parts brains and heart, and the end result shows a high degree of commitment and affection.”
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