‘X-Files 3’ Could Happen If Gillian Anderson Has Anything To Do With It

The X-Files 3 could be coming to a theater near you if series star Gillian Anderson has anything to do with it. Anderson played Agent Dana Scully alongside David Duchovny’s Fox Mulder on nine seasons of the hit Fox series. She also rejoined Duchovny for two film continuations.

But Anderson has always believed that the characters didn’t get the proper sendoff, and now she’s hoping that schedules can clear up to right the ship.

In an interview with Collider posted earlier this week, Anderson said, “It feels like it needs one more chapter, in terms of the films. I think we all feel like having one more film out there will wrap it up nicely. It’s really just a matter of when. Now, in terms of my schedule, I don’t know when that when is. I’m not in any immediate rush to be calling Chris [Carter, series creator] and tapping my foot, but if it’s meant to happen, it will happen.”

Anderson was encouraged by how well the show has performed on Netflix, adding that “the fact that it’s having a second life with the children who were obsessed with it is really awesome.”

“There’s a whole new generation out there that’s discovering it on Netflix, and that’s great,” she added.

The X-Files: Fight the Future hit theaters in 1998 and grossed $83.9 million domestically, picking up an additional $105.2 million overseas. With a worldwide take of $189.1 million, it was a respectable showing.

Unfortunately, Fox would let 10 years lapse before The X-Files: I Want To Believe came along to continue the story. By then, audiences had moved on to other franchises, but according to Box Office Mojo, the film’s meager gross of $68.3 million worldwide still managed to make it a tidy profit on a budget of just $30 million.

With both films successful (to varying degrees) and the streaming revolution breathing new life into the past shows, it’s easy to see why Gillian Anderson would want to dust this one off. Here’s a trailer for the last film to jog your memories:

The question remaining: would it be a priority for Duchovny and Carter?

Carter has been largely inactive for the last five years in the writing and directing departments — and he may want to keep it that way — while Duchovny has found new life in the hit Showtime series Californication.

But if Anderson, who is now starring in Hannibal and The Fall, can stay busy and still make X-Files 3 a priority, then there’s hope. And frankly, this seems like it might be a good idea for the next big Kickstarter movie project.

If Zach Braff and Veronica Mars can pull it off, then why not?

Would you like to see an X-Files 3? What did you think of the previous two films?