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CASEFILE 1999XMOVIE:
THE SECOND MOVIE
PREFACE:
This section covers the phenomena of Invasion, the supposed second movie that was set to come out in 2001 or 2002. It also discusses the fluctuating nature of the many times when XF was planned to end, but didn’t. Examples from the web archive and my collection of X-Files magazines from the time are used to demonstrate the timeline.
“There will be a second X-Files movie as far as I am concerned. But it won’t be on this summer’s hiatus. It seems like the actors are very excited to do it. It’s just a matter of finding the time, and I think it would either come out in the summer of 2001 or possibly 2002. It would have been great to culminate the series and go right into the next big movie. I think there will be a year, or possibly two years in between.” —Chris Carter for TV Guide Online, February 9th 19995
When asked if he was open to the idea of X-Files movie sequels:
“If the responsibility wasn’t too great. Like every five years or so would be nice. I don’t want it to be my career, which is what it turns into the more you keep doing it. It’s not about the money. It’s not about the fame at all. It’s really about fulfilling something within yourself that has nothing to do with the show. You have to find a way to make your existence on the planet worthwhile to yourself creatively.” – David Duchovny for TV Guide, November 15th, 1997.
When asked what she would have done if she had known the show would run for so long:
”I think that– I think that if I had known that back then, (with a laugh) I probably would've killed myself. You know what I mean?" – Gillian Anderson at the Series Wrap Party, April 26th, 2002
A TIMELINE
May of 1998 looked like the end of the television run of The X-Files. According to The Complete X-Files by Matt Hurwits and Chris Knowles, the finale episode ‘The End’ would have segued into a complete movie franchise, starting with Fight the Future originally’1. David Duchovny has been quoted explaining “We were saying, 'Okay, we're going to do five. We'll get out of here at five.' And then five came around, and no one was going anywhere. ’2" Obviously, the series had become so lucrative for FOX that they were hesitant to let it go, and so, two additional seasons were contracted, the idea of a complete movie franchise temporarily forgotten with the renewal of Season 6 in the near future. Though, the press wasn’t quick to let the crew forget it: Details Magazine concluded in June of 1998 that “Everything in Hollywood can change, because of earthquakes, plastic surgery, or money. But right now, you wouldn’t want to bet on ever seeing a second X-Files movie.”
May of 2000 should have been the end of the television run of The X-Files. The additional two-season run came to a close, and it seemed like everyone was alright to wrap it up, maybe go for a movie franchise later, maybe not. During this time, tensions were especially high due to David Duchovny’s ongoing lawsuit with FOX, and many fans were upset that doing the show without Mulder in it would even be considered. The fanbase formed multiple protest sites, including (INCLUDE BANNERS FROM THESE SITES)“X-Philes for Mulder, No Mulder. No X-Files, and even a site, Preserve our Partnership, which took charity donations to prove the amount of dedicated people who wanted XF with Mulder and Scully, or nothing.
Chris Carter solemnly said “I'm reluctant to ever split Mulder and Scully up. But the actors' contracts and Twentieth Century Fox's ultimate control over the show's destiny prevent me from being the only person with a vote. 3” And so, the show was renewed for another season.
Throughout the fluctuant 1999-2000 period, serious rumors circulated about a second movie. Many were convinced that it would be coming out in 2000 or 2001, and that it would be titled Invasion. One fan in 1999 was particularly sure. His homepage read: “SUMMER 2000...THE DATE IS SET. X-FILES: INVASION.” Unfortunately the site wasn’t updated soon after, but Ryan seems pretty sure of its release, stating “...this site will cover all the info for Season 6, Season 7, and the lead up to The X-Files: Invasion. This is your one-stop shopping mall. Everything X-Files related will be here.” Likely not. Multiple sites centered around XF news created updates about the upcoming movie:
“Canada's TV Guide, as well as several other publications, have reported that the tentative title for the next X-Files movie is "The X-Files: Invasion." Whatever the title, the film starts shooting next summer, and will be released Summer 2001.” – 24Hours News X, June 8th 1999
“The movie will most probably center around the alien colonization of Earth. However, Chris Carter has said that a more likely scenario is a non-mytharc movie, possibly a ghost story. But numerous sources have stated that the colonization will be wrapped up, with big explosions and the like…One thing that is not a rumor is that the script for this new film is finished, done with and under lock and key…
Carter said that next season, what really happened to Mulder's sister won't be resolved, leaving it open to be resolved in the next movie. Carter confirmed that he wrote the movie and that Rob Bowman will once again direct it. Carter says "We have an idea. We want to do a standalone, just a really good scary movie, not something that's tied into the mythology of the show.” – The 10th Planet, June 12th, 2000
“The X-Files Movie - THE NEW ONE: Hey guys! In case you all haven't heard - there will be a second X-Files Movie! It will be out either in the year 2001 or 2002. Chris Carter has confirmed this. The movie will continue where the season finale of season 7 will end. SEASON 7 WILL BE THE LAST SEASON OF THE X-FILES. Chris Carter is keeping information about this new movie under tight wraps. Remember what the security for the first movie was like? The only thing that has been semi-released is that the movie might be about an Alien Invasion and it might even be called ''Invasion''. However, this could be just a working title just like ''Blackwood'' was the working title for ''X-Files :Fight the Future''. I'll keep you as updated as I can.....The Truth about the movie is...well....still Out There. =)” – The Official X File, 2000
May of 2001 really should have been the end of the television run of The X-Files. (Author’s Note: I actually like Season 9 much, much more than Season 8 but you get what I’m trying to demonstrate here.) While ratings and fan interaction steeply declined, mentions of more content, more seasons, and of course, that second movie, as well as the always-looming prospect of a complete movie franchise continued. According to Wikipedia and the National Nielsen Viewership, “ratings for the season were initially strong, but it eventually averaged a total of 13.53 million viewers, down from the seventh season's 14.2 million.” Fans became disappointed with the continuous lack of Mulder, save for those few episodes, and the seemingly empty promise of Invasion.
Though, as Season 8 concluded, the crew seemed surprisingly somewhat hopeful. Frank Spotniz told TV Guide in March of 2002 that a second film “is something we continue to talk about. It would depend on when David and Gillian would be available and when a script would be written. Nobody has made a deal at this point. Anything could happen– or not happen.” (This is an extreme difference in attitude compared to Chris Carter’s pronouncements about the script he had already written back in 1999.) Similarly, Spotniz told the Official X-Files Magazine that same month “there’s potential for the show to continue on indefinitely.” At the same time, the second movie still seemed like a sure deal, depending on who you asked. “...newspapers and magazines [had] been claiming that it’s all set to shoot, the official word is that nothing has been confirmed. If it does happen, it will probably be a stand-alone movie…and Gillian Anderson and David Duchovny have both expressed an interest in starring in the film (The Official X-Files Magazine, March 2002.)”
Two months later, everything was still up in the air, even as Season 9 came to a close– “The two-hour finale series/season finale is titled “The Truth”. And that’s it! Until the next movie…!(?)”, quotes the official magazine once again. To my knowledge, rumors slowly dwindled in the months after the series ended, as it became overwhelmingly clear that a second movie was not in the works and would not be happening (anytime soon…).
BUT WAIT! THERE’S MORE
Well, I thought I was done with this one. As shown above, I originally believed I had covered the entire timeline of the elusive second movie, but as I’ve been archiving some websites that were updated later in the early 2000s, I have found that there was actually another false alarm rumor in 2004. They were very, very set on making this second movie, it seems. This does make the motivations behind the mess that is I Want To Believe a bit more logical. I also wonder if the plot of IWTB was the plot they had been planning since the earlier 2000s? I’m kind of disappointed in them if it was.
So, it goes like this: 2 years after the conclusion of the show, David Duchovny confirmed in a press conference for his upcoming film Connie and Carla that a second movie had been confirmed, and that Frank Spotniz and Chris Carter were currently working on the script. ”They have an idea, which they like, and they keep threatening to tell me…They're going to tell me soon. They're just setting about writing it now, so we'll be doing it in the next year.” He then elaborated on what vague information that he’s heard from the two, including that it would function like a stand-alone episode of the show, with an apparent major guest star. “Apparently, what Chris and Frank have is a great X-File idea with [room for] another actor or actress who can really score in a really great thriller/sci-fi role…” He did not address the involvement of any of the previous actors, but assured fans that Mulder would remain Mulder, likely due to lingering fears from his absence in seasons 8 and 96
So, of course, fans rejoiced.
"David Duchovny confirms 2nd X-Files Movie!:GREAT NEWS!!! "Former The X-Files star David Duchovny told reporters that creator Chris Carter and series writer Frank Spotnitz are working on a script for a second X-Files movie." Read more at Scifi.com. *Jumps up and down*. Yah! Thanks to RWNolt, Jeffrey & TheXFilesRoX21!" – XFROADUNNERS, March 31st, 2004
Days later, there was even an attempt at an advertising campaign organized by fans to attract the attention of FOX and Ten Thirteen. Fans crowdfunded $2,700 to have a Wanted poster displaying a call to action about bringing back our beloved Mulder and Scully to the screen, as seen to the right. There seems to be no record of its actual publication, so it seems it did not have much of an impact. I like the design, though. It also can be inferred that things were equally as up in the air for the actors, as a separate update references a statement from Gillian Anderson to Playstation magazine that carried the impression that she, like the fans, are still
left wondering if things will finally move forward.
Two months later, the final movie update from XFSC urges fans to “Stay Connected…”, as according to their unnamed sources:
“FOX is currently in negotiations with Arclight films or another company in order to withdraw from the production of a future X-Files film. The network would also have given its agreement to the takeover of the franchise (cinema) X-Files and that of MillenniuM by another studio. That would explain why things seem to be dragging on. The information is to be taken conditionally as long as we are unable to give you a strictly official confirmation.” – X-Files: The Search Continues
CONCLUSIONS + MY THOUGHTS
We all know what happened next in terms of the elusive XF movie franchise, but I don’t want to talk about it. I’d also like to mention that there was allegedly a movie planned for 2012, titled Colonization4. It was likely meant to have dealt with the colonization plot that had been foreshadowed throughout the series and specifically given the date of 2012 in the Season 9 Finale. 5 years after the reunion, David Duchovny still states in many interviews that he is still up for more XF content, maybe another movie. (Sorry to him, but I think it should end with the reunion, and saying this in every interview makes him sound like a has-been.) Gillian Anderson, on the other hand, is markedly not up for any more XF content, which…good for her.
So, why did I just write almost 1000 words about a movie that never even happened? Well. One, unless you were there for it, I don’t think this whole thing is a super well known thing in the fandom, which makes sense because there really isn’t any normal coverage of it besides old websites like that of the ones I have collected. So, I wanted to gather all my resources and try to make sense of it to the public. Additionally, I just don’t completely understand their continuous urge to make The X-Files into a movie franchise. It does not make much sense to me. I still don’t really get it but all in all, I kind of wish Invasion ended up getting made, or at the least, I hope Chris Carter releases that alleged complete script someday. For the 30th anniversary, perhaps?
1. [The Complete X-Files by Matt Hurwitz and Chris Knowles]↩
2. [The Complete X-Files by Matt Hurwitz and Chris Knowles]↩
3. [Chris Carter on the ‘Chris Carter Chat Transcript’ on the Official X-Files Website]↩
4. [The X-Files 3, Canceled Movies Wiki]↩
5. [February 1999, Eatthecorn.com]↩