f anyone had said five years ago that The X-Files would be heading into its ninth season in 2001, no one would have believed it—including the show's makers. But, as executive producer Frank Spotnitz can attest, the series is back again and proceeding full steam ahead—even though the show's missing one the core founding characters, David Duchovny's Mulder. Duchovny left the series to pursue other projects, although he's said he's open to returning as Mulder for the next X-Files feature reportedly in the works.
So where does the series that's seemingly done it all go from here? Though he continues to play his cards close to the vest, Spotnitz does offer some insights as to the new characters—and new directions—of this new season.
The season opener features two new faces to the X-Files universe. How did it come to pass that you and Chris Carter wrote a part specifically for Lucy Lawless (Xena: Warrior Princess) in the two-part season opener?
Spotnitz: Well, Chris met her somewhere, and she said, "I'm a huge fan, I love The X-Files, and I'd love to do the show." And he told her, "We're big fans of yours," and so, from that point on, we thought about how we could find something for her to do. She's nothing like Xena, what she's playing on this is a completely different character. She's fabulous; I think people are going to like her very much. We do.
What about Cary Elwes (The Princess Bride), whose recurring character, Assistant Director Brad Follmer, is another agent who happens to be Monica Reyes' former boyfriend?
Spotnitz: We cast a wide net looking for this person. We knew Cary was a great actor from all of his film roles, but when Cary came in to read with Annabeth [Gish, who plays Agent Monica Reyes] and we saw the two of them together, well, he had really good chemistry with her. But beyond that, he's the type of guy, the way he plays it, where you can understand why Monica Reyes would have been with him. [His character] will unfold slowly. He's in the first two episodes, but there's an awful lot happening, so it's not like we stop and fix on his character and his history. In our minds, we have a huge backstory for him that will slowly unfold over the course of the year.
Are you expanding the tapestry of characters in order to prepare for the possibility of a 10th season?
Spotnitz: Yes, that's part of it. But it's also addressing the need to fill out the show, so it can take on new territory and new dramatic ground in Mulder's absence. Last year, even though Mulder was gone, half the year you had the drama between Scully and Doggett as reluctant partners, and then all the issues surrounding Mulder's return. Now that Mulder is gone, that can't be something that is front and center every episode, or even most of the episodes, this year. We really had to sit back and imagine what the new territory was for us dramatically, given who the leads of the show are this season. And those leads are Gillian, Robert, Annabeth.
Will Gillian Anderson appear in all of the episodes this season? And what will Scully's role be now that she has a child?
Spotnitz: Yes, she will. We intend to take note of and integrate into her character all of these big changes in her life. She has a different role to play on the show this year, because Doggett and Reyes are the ones who are assigned to the X-Files. Scully underwent a change last year, and I don't think that change gets undone, just because we're in a new season of the series. She's still a scientist, she still has all of her areas of expertise, but she is much more open to belief than she was during most of the life of the series, and I think you'll see that reflected in her character. And if you think about that, you can start to see how the three of them might work [together] as investigators.
You can't reveal much about the new directions of the season. What can you say?
Spotnitz: All I can tell you is that, at the beginning of the season, it's Doggett and Reyes. Doggett and Reyes have given themselves this assignment in open defiance of Kersh. Scully isn't even working since she just had a baby. And I can tell you that the season opener—and this may eliminate a lot of angry e-mail—the season opener takes place 48 hours after the season finale last year; six months have not elapsed.
How are you going to handle Mulder's absence?
Spotnitz: Well, that's the first big, big question that we had to address, that will be addressed when we return. How do you handle Mulder's absence while being true to the series and being true to the characters of Mulder and Scully, especially after such an intimate, loving moment concluded last season? Obviously, that's a big mystery that will be answered very early in the season. Then the other big mystery going into the year is: What is the truth about Scully's baby?
In the past, The X-Files was centered around Mulder's quest. Now, in Mulder's absence, how have the quests of season nine been redefined and turned inside out to reflect the new realities on the show?
Spotnitz: Scully's goals and quest is going to be pretty clear, and stems organically from the last two episodes of last year. And those relate to her baby and to Mulder. What's new, and is a big challenge for us this year, is developing the characters of Doggett and Reyes and their relationship, and what the X-files comes to mean to them in their lives. John Doggett did not want to be assigned to the X-Files in the worst way, and now he's the head of the unit. And Monica Reyes, while her interests naturally go in this direction, has no personal connection that we know of to this unit. That's a big part of what will be new in this season.
Will you continue exploring the alien mythology? Last season introduced the concept of yet another variety of aliens—this time of the molting variety?
Spotnitz: I think a new chapter was opened in the series and in the alien mythology of the series with this idea of people are abducted and then returned and then molt into alien replacements. We never saw that in the show before, and it's the big alien idea in the series right now. Are they aliens indeed, or is it something else? That's another question, and that will also be explored in the new year.
Has it been a challenge to continue to find the scary stories after nine years on the air?
Spotnitz: It's interesting, because I really feel like last year and this year that's been our number-one priority again. The situation we're in this year is so new that we need to spend some time re-establishing what the show is with these characters. And there's just so much out there that is potentially frightening. We haven't come close to running out of ideas yet.
You wrote and directed the third episode, "Dæmonicus"—the second time you've written and directed an episode. What prompted you to return behind the camera once more?
Spotnitz: I didn't expect to enjoy it as much as I did. but I did enjoy it. It's enormously satisfying. And when you've written your own material, you've already done an enormous amount of the prep work for yourself as a director. I wanted to have a crack at doing something completely different, and this episode is completely different from what I did last year. Also, I realized that if I were going to do it again, this time I'd better do it early, rather than late [in the season], because the one I did last year almost killed me.
Doing a full season sans David Duchovny's Mulder, who was so integral to the series for so long, is a risky gamble. How do you think The X-Files will fare?
Spotnitz: Yes. All you can do is tell the best stories you can, come up with the most interesting characters and find the best actors—and I think we've done all of those things. I feel confident about the efforts we put forward, and the rest of it is kind of in the hands of the audience.
Back to the top.
Also in this issue: Chris Columbus of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone
.
