Bones may have been a well-oiled machine by the time it finished its final season, but it wasn’t always such meticulous and organized lab work. The first season of the long-running sciency detective show (which is streamable with a Hulu subscription) was apparently a mess behind the scenes thanks to a spiraling lead actress, frustrated crew members and a network that was losing confidence. It all worked out in the end, of course, but lead Emily Deschanel just got candid about how bad things got.

The reveal came during a conversation with popular actor David Duchovny on his podcast, Fail Better. Duchovny himself directed an episode of Bones and has known Deschanel and her family for years, as her dad worked on Twin Peaks. He’s also friends with Bones creator Hart Hanson; so, he was familiar with a bit of the problems during the first season and asked Deschanel about it.

She said she was very overwhelmed during the first season, particularly by all the complicated and technically precise dialogue she had to learn. As a forensic anthropologist, her character communicated using a ton of really specific medical terms. Throw in the fact that they were working 14 to 16 hours a day with limited time to memorize dialogue, and she apparently would regularly joke about going home to “cry in a bathtub every night.”

Behind on sleep and un-confident in her dialogue, she would apparently have trouble getting through scenes. Then she would start fixating on how the crew was probably mad at her because she was making the long days even longer, and it would cause a spiral, which would make everything worse.

In the midst of all the on-set problems, Deschanel was late to set after a problem with her commute, and everything came to a head. She apparently had a face-to-face conversation with Hanson, who was also the showrunner, and he let her know that the higher-ups were starting to get concerned about her work ethic. Here’s a portion of the story…

Deschanel said she felt a lot of shame after the conversation. She said it felt like being called out as a person more than an actor, but in retrospect, it wound up being a really good thing. She was never late to set again and worked with Hanson to figure out a schedule that was more manageable. They gave her someone to help work on her pronunciation and line memorization and would keep her out of a scene or two each episode so she could prep for the more complicated ones. Bones was eventually picked up for a second season, and by then, they were in a much better rhythm, with her even working with co-star David Boreanaz on weekends to get more in sync.

Bones ultimately ran for twelve seasons and is, by pretty much any definition, one of the more popular procedurals of the last few decades. Fans still cannot get enough of the chemistry between Deschanel’s scientist Dr. Temperance Brennan and Boreanaz’s Special Agent Seeley Booth, which pushed the show in a different direction than was planned. In retrospect, she was quietly clearly the right person for the role. It just took a few panic attacks and a lot of long nights to get there.

David Duchovny’s role as Fox Mulder on the iconic science fiction series The X-Files meant that he's been associated with conspiracy theories going back more than 30 years. Whenever the actor left the set for the day, he made a point of separating himself in real life from the fictional stories he performed opposite Gillian Anderson. That is until well after the original run of the series ended, when Duchovny accidentally entered a slithering discourse about a notable conspiracy theory.

In alignment with his 2025 TV guide show, Secrets Declassified, the new History Channel host caught up with People. During the conversation with the publication, the Californication star shared he doesn’t regularly humor fans' interest to talk about tall tales, until he surprisingly found himself in one. He noted it was around the time of the X-Files reboot (roughly around 2015) and he was repeatedly asked about lizards. He gave his frank thoughts at the time, then later learned about the deep lizard discourse:

Is anyone else having a hard time processing that one of the most recognized fictional FBI agents wasn’t familiar with the lizard people theory? Although with his pretty rigid boundaries of shutting any paranormal queries down, I guess it makes sense. That, and I’m sure Duchovny isn’t chronically online or have a habit of diving down any type of social media rabbit holes.

For anyone not in the know, the TLDR version boils down to people believing there are reptilian humanoids that can shape shift and live in society. No matter your take, it’s a lot to press on an actor just because his fictional character was a believer in the most bizarre. That isn’t to say I don’t love my own random dive into a conspiracy just for fun, but fans may want to consider their real-life audience before asking an actor about lizard people. Regardless, I do love how Duchovny found himself there.

The Twin Peaks alum then didn’t mince his words when he shared his thoughts on the topic at large:

There you have it! He’s not one who wants to believe like Fox Mulder, and that’s fine. He had more than his fair share delving into conspiracies as showcased by the best X-Files episodes, many of which featured future TV stars as cameos. It's almost hard to believe that since Duchovny auditioned for Full House, '90s television would have been very different if he'd been cast! What kind of world would we be living in if he had been Danny Tanner, Joey Gladstone, or Jesse Katsopolis?

Whether you dabble in the simplification of our present world or not, we know where Duchovny stands. But if you’re a well-seasoned Scully and Mulder fan looking for the truth of any kind, you may just be able to catch the Hollywood vet off guard with a conspiracy topic, even if you probably shouldn’t. To be safe, I’d recommend returning to rewatch or watch the cult classic with a Hulu subscription, because the truth is out there!

Arguably best known for attempting to find “the truth” about what may or may not be out there in The X-Files, David Duchovny first made TV waves as Twin Peaks’ trans DEA agent and as the narrator on Showtime’s erotic romance Red Shoe Diaries. But it turns out audiences could have first seen a far more family-friendly and wholesome turn from the actor in the beloved TGIF sitcom Full House.

As amusing as it would be to think about David Duchovny vying for the role of Comet or Kimmy Gibbler, he was obviously aiming to be one of the best TGIF characters of all time by landing one of the lead roles. And what may surprise fans is that he wasn’t going for one in particular, but was brought in for all three of the central adult trio. Have mercy indeed.

Speaking on his podcast Fail Better opposite guest and SNL vet Fred Armisen, Duchovny revealed how involved he was in the Full House casting process, saying:

As someone who’s seen every Full House episode more than once — not exactly my biggest badge of courage or pride — I can’t imagine how such a youthful David Duchovny came across while auditioning for the squeaky clean role of Danny Tanner. Or as the rock ‘n’ roll biker uncle Jesse Katsopolis, or as the slapstick stand-up comic Joey Gladstone.

Duchovny spoke to the idea that his Full House auditions, like his attempts to land “plenty” of other pilots during his first years in Los Angeles, were optimistically seen as being a bridge to stardom. Or, if not anything so overarchingly popular, at least a way for him to pay his bills.

The actor who went on to embody the conspiracy-embracing Fox Mulder isn’t harboring any foul feelings over not landing any of the three roles, saying that kind of acting wasn’t his strong suit at the time. As he put it:

Even if he didn't think himself to be so impressive at the time, it's perhaps telling that Full House's casting team brought David Duchovny back to read for all three of the main roles. So he couldn't have been that bad, or else they'd have sent him packing as soon as his Danny audition was done. (Fun fact: creator Jeff Franklin revealed that Paul Reiser was his top choice to play the widower dad, with the ever-iconic Bob Saget eventually winning the role.)

The Full House Character David Duchovny Should Have Played

While I've no doubt in my mind that Duchovny could have pulled off the role of Danny Tanner in a way that stood apart from Bob Saget's OCD-leaning papa bear approach, though I'm not as convinced that he could have served as the wacky comedic force in the way that Dave Coulier did. So what does that leave us with?

That's right: Duchovny as ladies man and all-around suave mofo Uncle Jesse. Perhaps it's due in part to his Red Shoe Diaries history, but I can easily see the actor playing a rebellious lothario who comes to terms with balancing family-related responsibilities with his desires to rock out. What's more, I feel like fans would have gotten an Uncle Jesse who wasn't afraid of a little facial hair. Nothing says an all-nighter with the Rippers like chin stubble. (Granted, we may never have seen all those Beach Boys cameos, and then wouldn't have seen the throwback homages to those cameos....but that's probably fine.)

Alas, Duchovny doesn't sound too miffed about missing out on the sitcom role, and he obviously went on to enjoy a long and lucrative TV and film career in the aftermath of those non-fruitful auditions. (To the point where he's even taking partial responsibility for discovering Angelina Jolie.)

Full House can be streamed in full with a Hulu subscription or a Max subscription, while all of Fuller House is currently streaming on Netflix. For a good time, cut out a picture of David Duchovny's head and hold it over John Stamos' face during the pilot episode.

When you hear the name David Duchovny, you probably feel a wave of '90s nostalgia wash over you. Best known for The X-Files, Duchovny has been making headlines for a different performance-related reason as of late. It revolves around something on the other side of the spectrum: nude scenes from movies. Though he's best known for the beloved investigative sci-fi drama, he later starred on the show Californication and, most recently, he starred in Reverse the Curse, which he directed and acted in and is based on his own book. Both projects include nude scenes, even though Duchovny has previously spoken about his embarrassment surrounding being naked on screen. With that, he's provided an explanation for going that route with the movie.

David Duchovny Previously Voiced His Thoughts On Nude Scenes

While discussing his dark comedy Californication with the Associated Press (via CTV), , the Twin Peaks actor got honest about how he felt shooting the nude scenes for the hit Showtime original, which ran from 2007 to 2014. When discussing his having to be pantsless, he said:

But the show must go on and, if there were going to be sex scenes, the leading man was going to make sure they were done right. No, not in a sexy way. The Evolution actor wanted to make sure the deed was portrayed realistically, in the awkward and sometimes humorous way it can happen:

It's definitely apparent to me that the Return to Me star is embarrassed to be naked on screen. Yet, for the purposes of his show, he found it to be helpful in accurately portraying natural human acting. Also, when it comes to comedy, it clearly worked given the show aired for seven seasons, which can be streamed with a Paramount+ subscription. So, when it came to filming his new project, the actor knew how to make a nude scene work for him. But what of his 2023 movie?

Why The Actor Chose To Show Himself Nude In Reverse The Curse Anyway

Reverse the Curse, which is available to rent now on Amazon Prime, is a heartfelt comedy-drama revolving around a classic father-son dynamic. Taking place in 1978, the year the Curse of the Bambino commenced, a terminally ill father (David Duchovny) must come to terms with his relationship with his son Ted (Logan Marshall-Green) and the fate of his favorite baseball team.

In an interview with Salon, the Zoolander alum says his character’s illness in the film is tied to the record of the Boston Red Sox during that infamous baseball season, and how each loss worsens his health. One essential scene revolves around his character, Marty, showing off his aging naked body. With this scene, the leading man stays true to his idea that if shown in a raw, realistic way, nakedness can be used to comedically break tension and embrace the awkwardness:

I agree with David Duchovny’s reasoning and use of the naked body. Oftentimes, a nude or sex scene feels more uncomfortable because it is not realistic. (Even director Steven Soderbergh isn't a fan of sex scenes.) An awkward nude scene is sometimes easier to digest because it's more relatable. And, according to the Sex and The City actor, it seems easier to film as well.

While the You People actor might be embarrassed over doing nude scenes, he appears pretty comfortable with his body. After all, he was happy to recreate his X-Files speedo scene for Sandra Oh in Netflix’s The Chair. And he’s not alone. More and more actors are getting real about performing scenes that require nudity, as there seems to be a trend in Hollywood about using the naked body with purpose, not just for views. Think Emma Stone, who was asked about nude moments quite frequently while promoting the raunchy Poor Things.

I’m here for this movement, enough with unrealistic portrayals! But be sure to catch David Duchovny's Reverse the Curse on Amazon and come to your own conclusion on whether the scene worked or not. Regardless, you’re sure to have a good laugh and cringe alongside as the actor would.

Angelina Jolie doesn’t act as much as she once did, but she’s still one of the biggest stars in the world. Seeing her now it’s impossible to see anything but a movie star, and that was apparently the case even before she was one. David Duchovny says that’s what he saw back when he “discovered” her for the film Playing God back in the late 1990s.

Unless you’re a serious fan of either Angelina Jolie or David Duchovny’s early attempts to break into film after making a name for himself on the X-Files, there’s a decent chance you’ve never seen 1997’s Playing God, which stars Duchovny as a doctor turned underworld surgeon. For some reason, it's one of those movies that's just been forgotten by time. Appearing on Radio Andy the actor says that when Angelina Jolie came into audition for the role of the female lead he insisted on casting her as he felt she was a star in the making. He explained…

Exactly when a new star is “discovered” is rarely perfectly clear, as Duchovny himself admits by saying that both he did and did not discover Jolie. He didn’t really discover Angelina Jolie, and yet, he feels like he did. The actress had some significant roles prior to Playing God, including most notably the early internet drama Hackers, but it seems Duchovny didn’t know who she was, so he felt like he was seeing something nobody else had seen before.

And maybe he’s right. If Jolie hadn’t gotten the role in Playing God perhaps it wouldn’t have given her the credibility or notoriety that helped her get other roles. It’s hard to imagine that Angelina Jolie wouldn’t have become a star eventually, as Duchovny said, he knew she was a movie star, but perhaps things wouldn’t have happened for her quite as fast as they did if he hadn’t “discovered” her.

At this point, Angelina Jolie may be better known to a generation of movie fans as the ex-wife of Brad Pitt. She’s certainly spent more of her time dealing with the legal ramifications of divorce, mostly ownership of a French winery, instead of being on the big screen. Still, when she does appear in a movie again she will automatically draw attention because she certainly is a movie star.

Jolie recently won a Tony Award, as one of the producers of the Broadway version of The Outsiders, with her previous Academy Award, she’s now halfway to an EGOT. Perhaps Jolie has even more worlds of entertainment left to conquer.

The X-Files started small on Fox in 1993 before ultimately running for nine seasons, two feature films, and another two revival seasons years later. While it seems likely that the journey of Agents Fox Mulder (David Duchovny) and Dana Scully (Gillian Anderson) is over as of spring 2018's WTF finale, there are 218 episodes going back more than thirty years about everything from monsters to serial killers to aliens.

After looking at which ones have stood the test of time, which were important to the overall story, and which are infinitely rewatchable, let's dive into the 20 best episodes (all available streaming via Hulu subscription)!

20. Squeeze: Season 1, Episode 3

"Squeeze" delivered a memorable villain with Eugene Victor Tooms, a contortionist serial killer with the mutation requiring him to eat human livers before hibernating every three decades. This was the very first Monster of the Week episode, after the pilot kicked off the series and the second episode started the serialized mytharc. It was also the first (of many) with somebody breaking into Scully's apartment. Fun fact: if Mulder and Scully hadn't stopped his liver-eating cycle, Tooms would have been killing again in 2023. 

19. Wetwired: Season 3, Episode 23

"Wetwired" combined a standalone case with the larger mytharc, with Scully succumbing to paranoid psychosis after binge-watching VHS tapes with a hidden signal. Although it's very '90s, it showed off what both agents brought to the X-files despite different approaches. Plus, this is one of many episodes with Mulder and/or Scully pulling a gun on the other, and a nice showcase of Mulder going all-out to save her. Throw in the Lone Gunmen, and what's not to love? 

18. Je Souhaite: Season 7, Episode 21

While "Squeeze" was the first standalone episode, "Je Souhaite" was the last standalone of the original Mulder/Scully era. The agents found a genie who granted Mulder three wishes. He of course believed right away, and Scully got to have fun examining the body of an invisible man. Sure, Mulder made a predictable choice with his third wish, but it was a fun final standalone entry in the classic era. 

17. Requiem: Season 7, Episode 22

The final mytharc episode of the original Mulder/Scully era, "Requiem" revisited the location and characters from the pilot in the hunt for a UFO. By the end, Mulder was abducted by aliens, Skinner was a believer, Scully was pregnant, and Krycek pushed the Cigarette-Smoking Man down a flight of stairs to kill him. (Spoiler alert: CSM was not dead.) While it was a pivotal episode, it's hard not to judge "Requiem" without considering how Season 8 and beyond continued the story.

16. How The Ghosts Stole Christmas: Season 6, Episode 6

If you want to see Mulder and Scully psychoanalyzed by spirits, then How the Ghosts Stole Christmas is for you. Ed Asner and Lily Tomlin guest-starred as ghosts trying to lure the agents into a murder/suicide lovers pact while trapped in a spooky mansion. Another episode with Mulder and Scully pointing their guns at each other, this takes a very X-Files look at their relationship. Is it an episode that changes the course of the mytharc or puts a monster behind bars? No, but it's a fun one.

15. Leonard Betts: Season 4, Episode 12

"Leonard Betts" was a turning point in the series. Airing after Super Bowl XXXI in 1997, Mulder and Scully investigated the case of a mutated killer (played by ER's Paul McCrane) who subsisted on cancerous tumors and could regenerate body parts, including his head. The kicker came during a showdown between Betts and Scully when he dropped this iconic line: "I'm sorry, but you've got something I need." Yes, Scully had cancer, and the course of Season 4 immediately changed. 

14. Jose Chung's From Outer Space: Season 3, Episode 20

Penned by fan-favorite writer Darin Morgan, "Jose Chung's From Outer Space" told story of a supposed alien abduction through the POVs of multiple characters to author Jose Chung, played by Charles Nelson Reilly. Mulder was described in one POV as a "mandroid" and Scully as "disguised as a woman" but "not pulling it off." Throw in Scully replacing a character's F-bombs with "bleep" when she told her version, and Men in Black being played by Alec Trebek and Jesse Ventura, and this is a classic.

13. Small Potatoes: Season 4, Episode 20

Speaking of Darin Morgan, the writer guest-starred in "Small Potatoes" as self-described "loser" Eddie Van Blundht – the "h" is silent – with the ability to change his appearance. He used this ability to trick women into sleeping with him, believing he was their husband, resulting in babies born with the characteristic tails of the Van Blundht family. While David Duchovny playing Eddie impersonating Mulder was definitely funny, the episode glossed over the sexual assault of Eddie's crimes a bit too much; otherwise, it would rank higher.

12. Paper Hearts: Season 4, Episode 10

"Paper Hearts" features a truly evil villain who also happened to be entirely human, and the only supernatural element was the strange dream connection between serial killer John Lee Roche and Mulder. The episode forced Mulder to consider that his sister's abduction may have had nothing to do with aliens, and – as usual when Samantha was involved – he got way too invested, allowing Roche to escape and nearly kill again. While the episode doesn't entirely age well, it's a great showcase for David Duchovny.

11. The Post-Modern Prometheus: Season 5, Episode 5

The X-Files went black and white for "The Post-Modern Prometheus," a.k.a. the show's twisted take on Frankenstein involving mysterious pregnancies, a literal mob of townspeople, a monster who wasn't so monstrous, and Cher. The story glossed over sexual assaults, but the comic book format blurs the lines of what actually happened in the case. It's a visually beautiful episode that earned seven Emmy nominations, winning one. Plus, the man underneath the Great Mutato makeup was Chris Owens, who also played the young Cigarette-Smoking Man and Jeffrey Spender.

10. Duane Barry/Ascension: Season 2, Episodes 5/6

It's hard to consider "Duane Barry" and "Ascension" separately, and not because of the red Speedo. Mulder's hostage situation with purported abductee Duane Barry turned into Barry breaking into Scully's apartment and kidnapping her. Despite Mulder's desperate attempt to save her – including some aerial lift stunts performed by David Duchovny – she was abducted in Barry's place on a mountaintop. This two-parter was also the end of Krycek's time with the FBI. While the story was due to Gillian Anderson's real-life pregnancy, few TXF twists have as long-lasting effects as Scully's abduction. 

9. Home: Season 4, Episode 2

"Home" made history as the first network TV episode to receive a TV-MA rating, and Fox never aired a rerun after the initial broadcast in 1996. The Monsters of the Week were the severely inbred Peacock family, and Mulder and Scully were brought in after a baby – born of multi-generation incest – was buried alive. The episode played a cover of the Johnny Mathis song "Wonderful! Wonderful!" over a kindly sheriff and his wife being murdered. Most of the good guys died and two Peacocks escaped, making it a very dark but unforgettable hour of television.

8. Triangle: Season 6, Episode 3

"Triangle" changed the TXF format with long one-take shots cut between two main stories. First, Scully and the Lone Gunmen searched for Mulder on a ghost ship in 1998. Then, Mulder was with a snazzy-looking Scully on a time-warped version of the ship as they evaded a Nazi version of the Cigarette-Smoking Man in 1939... or, more likely, Mulder was just concussed and/or drugged in 1998. The Wizard of Oz-esque episode is visually stunning, super fun, and doesn't really need to make sense. Plus, it even (sort of) delivered the first Mulder/Scully kiss.

7. Memento Mori: Season 4, Episode 14

Scully's cancer arc truly began in "Memento Mori" when she broke the news to Mulder and they began an investigation. The partners had parallel stories, with Scully pursuing answers within herself, while unbeknownst to her, Mulder was going all-out to try and save her, including asking Skinner to set up a meeting with CSM. Skinner refused, but then made a deal with the devil himself. It's technically a mytharc episode, but more of a showcase for Scully that won Gillian Anderson a well-deserved Emmy. 

6. Ice: Season 1, Episode 8

"Ice" was set almost entirely in an isolated outpost in Alaska only reachable by helicopter, and didn't need elaborate effects for a truly scary Monster of the Week. The plot was reminiscent of The Thing as Mulder, Scully, and a small team were exposed to a deadly parasite. When bodies started dropping due to murder, everybody was a suspect. Not only did Xander Berkeley, Felicity Huffman, and Jeff Kober guest star, but "Ice" was the first (and certainly not last) episode with Mulder and Scully pointing guns at each other.

5. Redux II: Season 5, Episode 2

The X-Files had a big landing to stick with the final episode of a tangled three-parter, as Scully was dying, Mulder was facing murder charges, and the Cigarette-Smoking Man was active in the shadows. Somehow, "Redux II" pulled it off. Mulder saved himself by exposing an FBI mole. Scully's cancer went into remission. Samantha appeared (sort of). Skinner proved his loyalty (again). CSM was shot, and lost so much blood that he was surely dead. (Spoiler alert: he wasn't dead.) Where "Redux" fell short, "Redux II" succeeded.

4. The Blessing Way/Paper Clip: Season 3, Episodes 1/2

"The Blessing Way" and "Paper Clip" paid off on the previous season's cliffhangers and went even further. Scully learned she had an implant in her neck and made the fateful decision to remove it. Her sister Melissa was mistakenly murdered by Krycek and an assassin, and Krycek was cut loose by the Cigarette-Smoking Man. The plot thickened for Mulder with the Syndicate, his mom, and Samantha. Instead of pointing their guns at each other, Mulder and Scully both drew on Skinner. This two-parter permanently shifted the course of the mytharc.

3. Clyde Bruckman's Final Repose: Season 3, Episode 4

"Clyde Bruckman's Final Repose" is a classic comedic episode of The X-Files, complete with Peter Boyle in an Emmy-winning turn as the titular Clyde Bruckman. The unfortunate Bruckman could predict how people could die, which put him on the radar of a killer. Although the hour ended with Bruckman's demise, highlights of his time with Mulder and Scully included implying Mulder would die due to autoerotic asphyxiation and telling Scully that she wouldn't die at all. 

2. Pusher: Season 3, Episode 17

Any list of top X-Files episodes would be incomplete without "Pusher" and Robert Patrick Modell as the villain who could impose his will on others with just his voice. He forced a man to set himself on fire, an agent to have a heart attack, and – in Mulder's case – play Russian roulette with Scully. A strong episode for both leads, "Pusher" is a rare entry to get a sequel years later, and the Russian roulette sequence is one of the most iconic scenes of TXF.

1. Bad Blood: Season 5, Episode 12

Is it blasphemous to rank a comedic episode at #1 for a show that specialized in sci-fi, supernatural, and horror? Perhaps, but "Bad Blood" is a fan favorite for a reason. Guest starring Luke Wilson and The Sandlot vet and TikTok star Patrick Renna, "Bad Blood" involved Scully and Mulder telling their versions of the same story, showing their very different perspectives on investigations... and each other. Did Scully really rant about cream cheese? Did Mulder really sing the "Shaft" theme song? We may never know, but David Duchovny and Gillian Anderson delivered major laughs with "Bad Blood."

Now, this ranking isn't to say that there were no excellent episodes from Seasons 8-11, but the classics (as well as the Fight the Future feature film) are from the original Mulder/Scully era, and always worth a rewatch. 

Superhero movies have been a constant in the world of modern Hollywood, and the genre reached its peak popularity with the explosion of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. With such a storied history, there are obviously going to be stories of actors who didn’t make the cut. But believe us when we tell you the actors on this list who almost played major superhero roles are quite the collection of characters.

Burt Reynolds - Superman - Superman (1977)

A bunch of big name actors turned down the role of Clark Kent/Superman when it came time to make 1977’s Superman feature film. Among those who skipped this early era of cape action is the legendary Burt Reynolds. The decision seemed to work out in the end, as that same year saw Smokey and the Bandit become one of his most iconic hits.

Demi Moore - Supergirl - Supergirl (1984)

Early in her career, Demi Moore had a chance to become a part of the Superman franchise. She auditioned alongside Brooke Shields for the lead in Supergirl, though Helen Slater would eventually win the part. Moore then almost played the supporting role of Lucy Lane but passed, as she was about to go from being on General Hospital to starring in the Brat Pack era of films, including About Last Night…

Pierce Brosnan - Batman - Batman (1989)

There are quite a few actors that have done the dance of fate with both superhero movies and the James Bond movies. One of the most surprising, besides Burt Reynolds turning down 007, was Pierce Brosnan testing for Tim Burton’s Batman. Brosnan admitted he blew it, especially since he criticized the wardrobe choices of Bruce Wayne’s darker alter-ego.

Annette Bening - Catwoman - Batman Returns (1992)

Annette Bening was almost Catwoman, believe it or not. The original choice for that role in Batman Returns, Bening seemed set to be a part of the film. That is until the actress found out she was pregnant and had to bow out of the part. It’s ok though, as Burton found a more than willing successor in Michelle Pfieffer, who practically signed on after reading half of the script. 

Marlon Wayans - Robin - Batman Returns (1992)

Marlon Wayans is the Bobby Bonilla of the superhero movie world. Just as Bobby continues to be paid not to play for the Mets, Wayans still gets royalties for not playing Robin in Batman Returns. Due to the roster of characters in Tim Burton’s 1992 sequel being trimmed, Wayans never took flight as the hero.

Dougray Scott - Wolverine - X-Men (2000)

Out of the 13 actors that almost played Wolverine in X-Men, Dougray Scott was the one that got the closest. Scott was actually cast in the iconic pre-MCU film and was so close to getting to pop those Adamantium claws. If he hadn’t suffered injuries and scheduling conflicts from the tail end of Mission: Impossible II, we would've seen different Logan in action. 

Rachel Leigh Cook - Rogue - X-Men (2000)

Brace yourself for a weird loop of coincidence. She’s All That star Rachel Leigh Cook turned down the role of Rogue in 2000’s X-Men. Who did the role end up going to? Academy Award winner Anna Paquin… the actor who gave Cook's character that memorable makeover in the aforementioned teen comedy. Maybe Paquin has some mutant career powers that nobody’s ever noticed before. As for Cook, she eventually admitted that she totally blew it by passing on this classic adventure.

Leonardo DiCaprio - Spider-Man - Spider-Man (2002)

James Cameron’s unmade Spider-Man movie would have gone in some wild directions. Perhaps what fans discuss most is the fact that if he were to have made the movie, Leonardo DiCaprio would have been his Peter Parker! While that’s not the most shocking aspect, especially if you’ve actually read the script, it’s certainly something that feels pretty interesting considering where Cameron and DiCaprio’s careers would go after that point. 

Kate Winslet - Elektra - Daredevil (2003)

There was a wide net cast when looking to fill the role of Elektra in 2003’s Daredevil. Lucy Liu, Salma Hayek and even Katie Holmes were all considered; as was Titanic alum Kate Winslet. Considering her co-star Leonardo DiCaprio almost played Spider-Man for James Cameron, could Winslet have also been considered for Mary Jane Watson had that movie gotten off the ground? 

Ashley Judd - Catwoman - Catwoman (2004)

Development hell can wreck a movie before it ever shoots a single frame. Michelle Pfieffer's intended Catwoman spinoff, for example, eventually mutated into a standalone film. And somewhere in-between Pfieffer’s variant being iced and Halle Berry’s infamous final product being made, Ashley Judd was meant to play the character in the early aughts. According to the Daily Haggis, Judd dropped out in favor of a stage play; which was probably the better move.

Cillian Murphy - Batman - Batman Begins (2005)

Beginning his stint as one of the actors in the most Christopher Nolan movies, Cillian Murphy played Scarecrow in Batman Begins and was a menacing presence to behold. And yet, the Irish actor initially tried out for the role of Bruce Wayne/Batman; going as far as doing screen tests in and out of the Batsuit. While it was admitted that he wasn’t a good fit for the lead role, Nolan did use Murphy’s audition to cast him as Dr. Jonathan Crane; and the rest was history.

Tom Cruise - Iron Man - Iron Man (2008)

You knew this was coming. When the MCU fired up its arc reactor in 2008, Robert Downey Jr. was there front and center to make Iron Man a mega hit. Of course, the studio needed to be convinced that Downey was the way to go, as there were powers that be who wanted the Mission: Impossible daredevil as the lead. Cruise turned down the part, while at the same time the Tony Stark we knew and loved had enough people in his corner to make it happen. 

Emily Blunt - Black Widow - Iron Man 2 (2010)

It’s time to revisit one of the cruelest villains ever: contractual obligations! Back when Iron Man 2 was getting into gear, the then up-and-coming Emily Blunt was offered the role of Natalie Rushman… who was eventually revealed to be Natasha Romanova, the Black Widow. Unfortunately, this was the first of Blunt’s two Marvel passes; with this part going to Scarlett Johansson after Emily had to fulfill her obligation to star in 2010’s Gulliver’s Travels. 

Daniel Craig - Baldur The Brave - Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness (2022)

The worlds of James Bond and superhero culture have collided before, thanks to Daniel Craig’s rumored Thor casting being debunked. What isn’t as sketchy is the claim that Craig almost played Baldur the Brave in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. And if you need anyone to further firm up this claim, just ask Elizabeth Olsen, who actually saw Craig’s costume after it was designed.

Joe Jonas - Spider-Man - The Amazing Spider-Man (2011)

One of the greatest heartbreaks in Joe Jonas’ career as an actor is still that time he almost landed the lead role in The Amazing Spider-Man. Jonas recalled his Marvel auditions as well as the tragic turn the situation took when Andrew Garfield landed the role, and it’s hard not to feel for the dude. Then again, Jonas may have dodged a bullet, considering where that series went.

John Krasinski - Captain America - Captain America: The First Avenger (2011)

One of the hot prospects for the casting of Captain America was appropriately a man who’s clearly cut out for the role of an American boy scout -- John Krasinski. Though The Office star failed to secure the bag as Steve Rogers, he did go on to play the similarly patriotic lead of Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan. Oh yeah… and he was a Multiversal Reed Richards in Doctor Strange 2 as well. 

Morena Baccarin - Maria Hill - The Avengers (2012)

Joss Whedon sure does have a deep bench of talent he loves to pull from. Firefly alum Morena Baccarin knows that fact, as she auditioned for The Avengers to play the role of Maria Hill. Though she stayed in the extended MCU family through Deadpool, Baccarin admitted she tanked the audition because she didn’t get Hill’s character on the page.

Jamie Dornan - Superman - Man of Steel (2013)

Mr. Kent will see you now. If history shook out a bit differently, maybe Henry Cavill would've played the lead in Fifty Shades of Grey, and Jamie Dornan would have been the Man of Steel lead that kicked off the DC Extended Universe. But that’s not the multiverse we live in, as we’re now wondering if these two will be competing for another massive pop culture role: that of James Bond.

Amanda Seyfried - Gamora - Guardians of the Galaxy (2014)

If it wasn’t for Amanda Seyfried questioning whether or not Guardians of the Galaxy would be the first Marvel movie to bomb, she might have accepted the role of Gamora. However, it’s those doubts that kept her out of James Gunn’s 2014 blockbuster; a fact that Seyfried admits she was “very wrong” about.

Glenn Howerton - Star-Lord - Guardians of the Galaxy (2014)

It’s more than an implication that It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia star Glenn Howerton was almost cast as Star-Lord. It’s been pretty much confirmed by James Gunn that Howerton would have been his next choice, had Chris Pratt not signed on. The only thing more interesting is how “the Golden God” himself wasn’t considered to play Adam Warlock.

Lindsay Lohan - Scarlet Witch - Avengers: Age Of Ultron (2015)

Back in the days of her docu-series Lindsay, this Mouse House graduate thought her manager cost her a role in an Avengers movie. Well, if the timing of that 2014 project was any indication, the whispers of Lindsay Lohan being up for the part of Scarlet Witch just may have been true. 

Olga Kurylenko - Wonder Woman - Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice (2016)

If there are two stars that need to be interviewed together about their careers, it’s Gal Gadot and Olga Kurylenko. Apparently, they both competed for lead roles in Quantum of Solace and Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice; with Kurylenko ultimately getting the Bond experience and Gadot snagging the Lasso of Truth.

Asa Butterfield - Spider-Man - Captain America: Civil War (2016)

Remember that time the world was convinced Asa Butterfield was the new Spider-Man? It happened, and the Sex Education lead apparently did test for the role in 2016’s Captain America: Civil War. Though his bid was unsuccessful, it’s hard not to admit he’d have made a good candidate had Tom Holland not eventually landed the role.

Emma Roberts - Harley Quinn - Suicide Squad (2016)

Apparently, the world has Fox’s now defunct shriek-com Scream Queens for taking Emma Roberts away from Suicide Squad. Roberts chose that TV gig over becoming the living embodiment of mayhem, leaving the role wide open for Margot Robbie to accept, and own, the role of Harley Quinn for years to come.

Josh Brolin - Batman - Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice (2016)

Ben Affleck had some stiff competition for Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice’s Caped Crusader; and Josh Brolin was one of those competitors. But just as those hopes of Bryan Cranston as Lex Luthor and Timothy Dalton as Alfred didn’t pan out, Brolin lost the gig. With that, another major "what if" casting scenario was created.

Ryan Gosling - Doctor Strange - Doctor Strange (2016)

Yes, it’s true: Ryan Gosling took a meeting back in the Phase Three days of the MCU. The Mickey Mouse Club alum was considered to play Dr. Steven Strange himself. It’s hard to tell which missed opportunity is the more intriguing what if: this, or Gosling’s failed attempt to make a Haunted Mansion movie with Guillermo del Toro.

DeWanda Wise - Maria Rambeau - Captain Marvel (2019)

Getting cast in a superhero movie like Captain Marvel, only to have to bow out, has to be a painful feeling. DeWanda Wise is another case of such history in action, as she was supposed to play Maria Rambeau opposite Brie Larson’s Carol Danvers. But then, commitments to Season 2 of Netflix’s She’s Gotta Have It forced Wise to exit, with Lashana Lynch taking her place shortly after.

Sean Young - Catwoman - Batman Returns (1992)

Sean Young really wanted to be Catwoman in Batman Returns. No, seriously, the Blade Runner actor had such a desire to be cast in the role, that details reported via CBR saw a Warner Bros exec talking about how she burst into his office, in a Catwoman costume of her own design, to try and impress him and Michael Keaton. Needless to say, it didn’t work.

David Duchovny - Batman - Batman & Robin (1997)

There was a bit of a holding pattern between the success of Batman Forever and the accelerated timeline to make Batman & Robin. In that chaos, Val Kilmer exited the role, and a new Bats needed to be found. The X-Files' David Duchovny was one of the candidates considered, but the spooky man lost out on the role to George Clooney. A fate that Mr. Clooney still apologizes for, to this very day.

Armie Hammer - Batman - Justice League: Mortal (2007)

Tax rebates! That’s what caused the cancellation of George Miller’s Justice League: Mortal, which was pretty far along in pre-production for a movie to be given the axe. With Armie Hammer cast as Batman for this big blockbuster, the Caped Crusader scored yet another intriguing “what if…” when the curtain fell.

Anne Hathaway - Black Cat - Spider-Man 4 (2011)

If Spider-Man 4 had actually happened, it could have been a hell of a sight. With folks like John Malkovich cast, the next intended Sam Raimi-helmed movie could have been a return to the heights of Spider-Man 2. And in that pocket of alternate reality, Anne Hathaway probably didn’t play Catwoman in The Dark Knight Rises, as she would have played a feline of a different stripe: Felicia Hardy herself, Black Cat. 

Christina Aguilera - Invisible Woman - Fantastic Four (2005)

Prepare for quite possibly the most bizarro alternative casting on this list. Amid development on 2005's Fantastic Four, Sean Astin himself wanted to direct the First Family of Superheroes. And as Astin revealed to Collider, he wanted Christina Aguilera to play Sue Storm a.k.a. the Invisible Woman. There’s got to be a “Genie In A Bottle” joke here somewhere, but we just can’t see it.

As you can see, the world of alternate comic castings has led to some stranger than-fiction-possibilities, near misses and truly heartbreaking passes. You can bet that so long as Marvel, DC, and any other comic company is keeping the pedal to the medal to make more superhero movies, there will be even more of these tales to come along in the years to come.

Romantic comedies are a tried and true genre in the film world, able to make a great profit on a relatively small budget. While som fans have been missing classic rom-coms, some legends of the genre have been making returns. First we got Julia Roberts in Ticket to Paradise, and now the one and only Meg Ryan is also back. The first look for What Happens Later shows Ryan trading out frequent co-star Tom Hanks for X-File's David Duchovny, and I'm so here for it. What's more, she's also the director of the movie! 

As you can see in the trailer above, What Happens Later will feature Meg Ryan and David Duchovny and ex-lovers, who end up stranded together in an airport. This first footage highlights her credits, which include some of the best rom-coms of all time including You've Got Mail, Sleepless in Seattle, and When Harry Met Sally. Although this new flick will seemingly be using some high concepts, including a narrator that the two protagonists can hear. But with Ryan both behind and in front of the camera as director/star, I'm totally sold on this idea.

The trailer for What Happens Later opens on an experience that many of us have experienced when traveling recently: a cancelled flight. Ryan's protagonist Willa is less than thrilled, especially upon accidentally stumbling on her ex Bill (Duchovny), who she hasn't seen in 25 years. In the airport chaos, theirs are the only two flights that end up being cancelled, with the pair ending up stranded in the airport together. 

The chemistry between Meg Ryan and David Duchovny is great, with both of these iconic stars having a ton of charisma in this limited footage. I'm excited to see how they go from stuffy exes to old friends, especially once the power goes down in the airport and they're left to their own devices. Give us a release date already!

As previously mentioned, there's seemingly a third major character in What Happens Later. Specifically, the airport announcer voice that seems to be taunting them throughout this first trailer. While Willa and Bill originally learn that their flights are cancelled from this announcer, they continue talking back to it and having a back and forth throughout their misadventures. Is there really someone talking to them, or is this an over the top concept added by Meg Ryan? Only time will tell, but it's another fun side to this upcoming romantic comedy.

On top of being Ryan's return to the big screen and romantic comedies, it's super impressive that she's wearing so many hats for What Happens Later. She's the movie's star, its director, and is even one of the three writers responsible for the script. Bow down for the rom-rom queen!

It's currently unclear when What Happens Later will hit theaters. Be sure to check out the 2023 movie release dates to plan your next movie experience. 

It’s baffling to think back to a time when the majority of Stephen King adaptations were TV movies produced by broadcast networks, since those are the places where new projects aren’t happening these days. Case in point: Paramount+ revealed new details and first looks for its upcoming prequel Pet Sematary: Bloodlines, which is a straight-to-streaming sequel to Kevin Kölsch and Dennis Widmyer’s 2019 theatrical feature (which isn’t quite a retread of Mary Lambert’s 1989 film). And while the analytical side of my brain is highly skeptical any time a sequel like this comes to life (eep) without being based directly on King’s source material, I find it impossible not to root for any project that co-stars David Duchovny, Pam Grier and Henry Thomas.

The shot above of the mystical, animal-filled cemetery is one of the new looks at the Pet Sematary origin story, which puts to rest questions about its prequel nature that arose during production. Check out the poster below, which notes the film's streaming premiere date of October 6, and combines the signature grave circles with a cool-looking silhouette of all the grave markers. But like, is that a bear head on there? Are we supposed to believe that someone kept a bear as a pet, or is that more like an unfinished bear headpiece meant to represent the native population that lived there years prior?

Pam Grier technically gets a "with" credit as part of the Pet Sematary: Bloodlines cast, indicating she may not be a major part of the story from beginning to end. But even if all she does is pop into the story to blow an evil animal’s head off, along with an anecdote about how she got her facial scars, then it’s a win for this prequel that its predecessor was not able to boast. 

And then we have X-Files vet and all-around mood-driver David Duchovny, who has somehow never headed up a Stephen King project before. (Even though the actor and author did compete against one another during a 1995 episode of Celebrity Jeopardy!, with Lynn Redgrave as the third contestant.) As Bill, Duchovny is paired with Grier as a “with” credit, and the fact that he’s seeing what appears to be an undead person (Jack Mulhern’s Timmy) in the reflection doesn’t bode well for his future. 

Someone who does have experience with Stephen King adaptations is Henry Thomas, who has been part of Mike Flanagan’s features Gerald’s Game and Doctor Sleep, as well as starring in the TV movie Stephen King’s Desperation and the “End of the Whole Mess” installment of the anthology Nightmares & Dreamscapes: From the Stories of Stephen King. Within the world of Pet Sematary: Bloodlines, he’ll be playing a character named Dan who, at least in the picture below, looks like he’d be in good company with Jeffrey Dahmer.  

Isabella Star LaBlanc (Long Slow Inhale) can be seen below as Donna alongside Forrest Goodluck (The Revenant) as Manny, and they're in the thick of some lovely and lush greenery, with sunflowers and hazardous-looking plants all around. They don't appear to be looking at anything they're highly excited to see, so I can't wait to see what else is hiding amongst the plantlife. 

And then we have Mrs. Fletcher and Ambulance's Jackson White as the most familiar character in the bunch, as he'll be portraying Judd Crandall, who was portrayed by John Lithgow in the 2019 film. (And by Fred Gwynne in the '87 adaptation.) Not a whole lot to get excited by in this pic specifically — remember round side mirrors? — but there was only downhill to go after Pam Grier anyway. 

Finally, we go from humans to a more feral beast that almost automatically calls to mind Cujo, just on the nature of it being a fucked-up dog in a Stephen King-inspired narrative. To be fair, the mutt looks kind of happy, but probably because it just submerged itself in the tears of its victims. Or a nearby lake. Whatever the case may be, is this Patient X when it comes to the pet cemetery's affect on the world?

Pet Sematary: Bloodlines was co-written by Jeff Buhler and Lindsey Anderson Beer, and serves as Beer's directorial debut. It will be available to stream with a Paramount+ subscription on Friday, October 6, but there are plenty of upcoming horror releases to bury your heads in while waiting.

Network TV was the place to be on the small screen back in the mid-to-late ‘90s, before streaming services started churning out series en masse. This was the era of The X-Files in its prime, with David Duchovny’s Agent Fox Mulder and Gillian Anderson’s Agent Dana Scully as pop culture icons. They came to the big screen in the summer of 1998 with The X-Files: Fight the Future, which combined the best parts of the show’s mythology for longtime fans with blockbuster scale for newcomers. I rewatched it for the 25th anniversary, and realized some things that didn’t quite hit home in 1998. 

Now, I’m not going to claim that June 2023 was the first time that I rewatched Fight the Future since seeing it in the theater as a preteen, and there’s a well-worn VHS copy of the movie somewhere to prove it. A lot has happened since the theatrical premiere on June 19, 1998 – including a second movie and a semi-successful Fox revival – but there’s still a lot to enjoy from this film. 

1. The Movie Is One-Of-A-Kind

While theatrical films based on TV shows were released before Fight the Future and have been released since, the first X-Files movie was part of an ongoing network TV show rather than a sequel to a series that had already ended, a la the Star Trek, Downton Abbey, and Veronica Mars franchises. In fact, fans will remember that the film picked up where Season 5 left off in May of ‘98 and set up the premiere of Season 6 in November of ‘98. I didn’t fully appreciate that network TV achievement as a kid, but I’m certainly impressed now. 

2. The Theme Song Hits Different In A Movie

Any fan of The X-Files going back to the ‘90s or who binge-watched via streaming more recently could probably whistle the theme tune from memory, and I maintain that the song from Mark Snow makes the TV show’s opening credits positively iconic. Fight the Future has a slightly elevated version of the song, and there’s something about hearing it (and the reprise in the soundtrack) on the scale of a film that just hits differently, even though I was just watching on my TV screen in 2023 as opposed to during a theatrical experience a la 1998. 

3. I Still Hate That Damn Bee, 25 Years Later

Bees are a big deal in Fight the Future, to say the least. Duchovny and Anderson filmed with what she described to EW back in '98 as "buckets of bees" for the scene of Mulder and Scully being swarmed on top of the mysterious facility, but… well, any diehard fan of The X-Files undoubtedly knows the exact insect that I’m talking about when I say “That Damn Bee.” 

Let me set the scene: Scully has decided to quit the FBI, Mulder is dropping heartfelt confessions that he’d probably never make if not on the verge of losing her, and an emotional hug is literal millimeters from turning into a kiss… until That Damn Bee stings her, she has a reaction to the alien virus it transmitted to her, and the plot takes off again. 

As an adult, I understand why they couldn’t kiss in the movie, and even the preteen version of me probably shouldn’t have fallen for the fake out, but That Damn Bee is still the real villain of The X-Files: Fight the Future, if you ask me. The Cigarette-Smoking Man isn’t half as good at ruining Mulder/Scully moments, and I guess there are some grudges that take more than 25 years to get over! 

4. I Can Pretty Much Quote The Whole Movie

I have no idea how many times I’ve actually seen this movie or how much of this was just a result of imprinting on the movie at a young age, but I discovered in my latest rewatch that I could pretty much speak all the lines along with the characters, ranging from Dana “THERE’S NO TIME!” Scully to Fox “I can say ‘shit’ now that I’m not on network TV!” Mulder to the Cigarette-Smoking Man and his very genre un-savvy “He’ll never make it!” about Mulder. 

Now, if you want to tell yourself that I can’t quote the entire hallway scene before That Damn Bee from memory with a clear conscience, you can, but you’re wrong. What can I say? Maybe The X-Files: Fight the Future is simply that with which I can’t live without… and if you read the bizarre second half of that sentence in Armin Mueller-Stahl’s accent as Strughold, then you too may have seen this movie too many times! 

5. I Don’t Really Care About The Plot Holes

Was this the greatest film in the history of film? Of course not, although I’d certainly rank it above 2008's The X-Files: I Want to Believe, the second film in the franchise. Still, as I rewatched the movie for the 25th anniversary to write this, I took note of some plot holes that I’ve been able to overlook before. I also realized that I don’t really care about them and can still love the movie. 

Who called in the bomb threat to Dallas, and why was there no subtler way to dispose of the infected corpses? No idea. Was Scully somehow the only person who was stung by one of the carrier bees? That seems unlikely, but okay! How did Mulder and Scully get back from Antarctica? Even the show goes on to make fun of that question! Did Byers wear a magical stretching suit that Mulder was somehow able to fit into his clothes without splitting every seam? Apparently!

And, I’m fine with it, even 25 years later. If I could suspend the hell out of my disbelief for the two revival seasons in 2016 and 2018 while also telling myself that the brutal reveal about what the Cigarette-Smoking Man did to Scully isn't canon, then nothing can ruin my enjoyment of Fight the Future. 

6. The Show Is Worth A Rewatch

For reasons ranging from seeing Mulder and Scully together in action again to hearing that movie version of the theme song, the final credits rolled on my rewatch with my realization that the whole show, rather than just a particular episode here and there, is really worth a rewatch as well, especially in its glory days. Does that mean that I’d want to revisit every episode, and that every mid-'90s episode has aged well? Definitely not, and I’m probably not the only fan who would much rather rewatch one of the vampire episodes than any other. 

But, The X-Files was a great show that I believe holds up for the most part… and luckily, all eleven seasons are available streaming with a Hulu subscription, with the show earning a spot on our list of best horror TV series to watch on Hulu. 

A clash of cultures and ideals can either be a recipe for disaster or a source of comedy, and Kenya Barris’ new Netflix comedy movie, You People, is a little bit of both that creates a dynamic experience. The movie, which stars Jonah Hill and Eddie Murphy as soon-to-be son-in-law and father-in-law, and puts the differences between the characters front and center, with members of Jewish and Islamic faiths trying to make things work.

If you caught the 2023 Netflix movie during its brief theatrical release or just as it began streaming on the platform in late January, there’s a good chance you’re wondering where you’ve seen the members of the You People cast before. Well, below, we will break down the two families at the center of the latest effort from the black-ish and blackAF creator, which features comedy heavyweights on both sides of the aisle.

Jonah Hill (Ezra Cohen)

Starting things off is Jonah Hill, who stars in You People as Ezra Cohen, in addition to co-writing the movie with director Kenya Barris.

Years from now when people look back on Hill’s career, they will find one of the most varied filmographies of the early part of the 21st century thanks to his ability to pull off all types of roles. From iconic comedies like Superbad and 21 Jump Street to Academy Award-worthy performances in underrated baseball movies like Moneyball and Martin Scorsese crime epics like The Wolf of Wall Street, Hill continues to prove he’s one of the best around. He has even taken to working behind the scenes with directorial efforts like Mid90s and Stutz.

Eddie Murphy (Akbar Mohammed)

Comedy legend and Golden Globe winner Eddie Murphy shows up in You People as Akbar Mohammed, the father of Jonah Hill’s on-screen girlfriend.

Though he is one of the most legendary comedians, actors, and personalities on the face of the planet, and someone who needs no introduction, there could be someone out there who either has no memory of the Saturday Night Live megastar or has You People as their introduction to his work. Over the years, Murphy has led one iconic movie after another, with titles like 48 Hours, Trading Places, Beverly Hills Cop, Coming to America, Boomerang, The Nutty Professor, and Shrek quickly coming to mind. And, this is barely scratching the surface of Murphy’s body of work and contributions to pop culture, as listing them all would take up this entire article. 

Lauren London (Amira Mohammed)

Next up is Lauren London, who shows up in You People as Amira Mohammed, Jonah Hill’s on-screen girlfriend and the daughter of Eddie Murphy and Nia Long’s characters.

Throughout the early stages of her career, London appeared in movies like ATL, This Christmas, I Love You, Beth Cooper, and Madea’s Big Happy Family, while at the same time landing roles of varying capacities on a list of shows that included Everybody Hates Chris, Entourage, 90210, and even a 2009 episode of Keeping Up with the Kardashians. 

More recently, London has worked on movies like the 2021 Tom Clancy adaptation, Without Remorse, and shows like The Talk, Games People Play, and True Story. 

Nia Long (Fatima Mohammed)

Nia Long appears in You People as Fatima Mohammed, Lauren London’s on-screen mom and Eddie Murphy’s character’s wife.

For more than 30 years now, Long has been one of the most prolific actresses of her generation, with outstanding performances like Brandi in the late John Singleton’s landmark drama Boyz n the Hood, Debbie in Friday, and Jordan Armstrong in the Best Man film (and now TV) franchise. Add movies like Big Momma’s House, Boiler Room, and Are We There Yet? from the aughts, and it’s easy to see why she’s why she’s such a beloved actress. 

But if that wasn’t enough, Long has long been an incredibly busy name on the small screen, with appearances on shows like The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, Third Watch, Judging Amy, House of Lies, blackAF, and countless others. 

Julia Louis-Dreyfus (Shelley Cohen)

Julia Louis-Dreyfus appears in the You People cast as Shelley Cohen, Jonah Hill’s on-screen mom.

An 11-time Primetime Emmy Award winner, Louis-Dreyfus has been a part of some of the most popular and influential comedy series in the history of TV, with more than one career-defining role on the likes of Seinfeld, Veep, The New Adventures of Old Christine, and even Saturday Night Live. Add in Curb Your Enthusiasm (the Seinfeld “reunion” storyline is still an all-time great), Arrested Development, The Simpsons, and now her work in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and you have a career that’s on a whole other level.

And, let's not forget movies like Deconstructing Harry, A Bug’s Life, National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation, and Troll. 

David Duchovny (Arnold Cohen)

David Duchovny, a standout ‘90s TV star with his own legendary status, shows up in You People as Jonah Hill’s on-screen dad, Arnold Cohen.

Best known for his portrayal of FBI Special Agent Fox Mulder on the quintessential ‘90s series The X-Files, Duchovny has remained relevant over the years thanks to great performances on shows like Californiacation, Aquarius, and Twin Peaks (both the original run and the 2017 Showtime revival), and numerous others. Movies like Beethoven, Chaplin, Evolution, Zoolander, and The Bubble have only added to his status over the course of the past few decades. 

Molly Gordon (Liza Cohen)

Taking on the role of Liza Cohen, Jonah Hill’s on-screen sister, in You People, is Molly Gordon.

Though not as recognizable as some of the actors named higher up on the list, Gordon has been putting in the work the past decade or so, with roles on shows like Orange Is the New Black, Animal Kingdom, Ramy, and most recently on Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty, where she took on the role of Linda Zafrani. Her film work includes roles in movies like Life of the Party, Booksmart, Good Boys, Shiva Baby, and Am I Ok?. 

Travis Bennett (Omar Mohammed)

Rounding out the main portion of the You People cast is Travis Bennett, who plays Lauren London’s on-screen brother, Omar Mohammed.

Bennett, who got his start with his Taco rap persona as part of the Odd Future Wolf Gang Kill Them All, has transitioned into a successful TV actor over the course of the past decade, landing roles on shows like Workaholics, Loiter Squad, and most recently, Lil Dickey’s off-the-wall FX dark comedy, Dave.  

You can catch these actors and many others by watching You People streaming right now, but only if you have an active Netflix subscription. If you want to know a few reasons to sign up for the service, check out the list of the best movies currently on Netflix.

Stream You People on Netflix.

Rejection: it’s something we all have to face up against at some point or another. However, if you get a good story out of the experience, it's all the more worth it. One such story has recently come to light, as David Duchovny’s press rounds for the Netflix 2023 new movie release You People has led him to tell the story about how the best rejection he’s ever gotten came from director Quentin Tarantino.

This tale came from an audition that Duchovny had done for Tarantino’s 1992 directorial debut Reservoir Dogs. Told during his interview with Collider, The X-Files star revealed the following scenario took place as he threw his hat in the ring:

Admittedly, that is one of the most entertaining rejection stories that has come into being. Leave it to Quentin Tarantino to be able to deliver the news that David Duchovny would not be joining the cast of Reservoir Dogs in such a way that was also positive and pretty funny. It’s a “no,” but it has that Tarantino flair that sounds cool. In other words, it’s something that everyone pretty aspires to hear when they’re given the boot.

David Duchovny landed on his feet not too long after that fateful story. Hitting it big as Fox Mulder on the classic sci-fi TV show The X-Files, 1993 would see the actor launching to meteoric stardom. At the same time, while Duchovny still wound up becoming a big deal, it’s hard not to at least entertain the thought of him running around in the Tarantino-verse.

Mulder’s character especially feels like he’d belong in the world of cool robbers wearing black suits and listening to all the smooth sounds of the ‘70s the radio has to offer. Only instead of participating in the bank heist that Reservoir Dogs never actually shows us, David Duchovny’s conspiracy-fueled FBI agent would probably try to raid Area 51 if given the chance. 

Should these two iconoclasts want to still work together, it’s not too late. As “The Last Film by Quentin Tarantino” is lurking in the darkness of the near future, there might be a role somewhere that David Duchovny can finally do what he does best. One thing’s for sure: that mystery movie won’t be a Tarantino biography, which means it’s just as likely that the actor will get to be on the other end of this iconic rejection. 

You People welcomes viewers to the family, and Jonah Hill’s interrogation by Eddie Murphy, with open arms on January 27th. Just be sure you have a Netflix subscription before you try to join in on the fun. That’d be the worst rejection of all, given the current scenario. 

There was a time when actress Meg Ryan was known as the Queen of Rom-Coms. Some of the best Meg Ryan movies were When Harry Met Sally, Sleepless in Seattle, You’ve Got Mail, Joe Versus The Volcano, and more. Her heartwarmingly romantic plot lines can make any girl watching wish she was in one of the movies. The last rom-com we ever saw Meg Ryan in was Serious Moonlight directed by Curb Your Enthusiasm's Cheryl Hines. Thirteen years later, we can all hail the queen again as she is back to bring us heartwarming romance magic with a leading man by her side. But who is this leading man? Can it be five times a charm for Tom Hanks? Turns out, Meg Ryan is making her return to rom-coms for the first time in over a decade with a leading man who is not Tom Hanks.

The latest Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan pairing was when they reunited in Ryan’s directorial debut Ithaca. However, it looks like we’ll be seeing Meg Ryan with a new leading man whose name is actually…David Duchovny! It was revealed on Meg Ryan’s Instagram the movie poster of her latest rom-com called What Happens Later. We can see Meg Ryan’s name not once but twice on the poster as she will be back in the director’s chair again. While we have no trailer or release date yet, we still can’t help but be thrilled about this new upcoming movie.

You may know David Duchovny from television dramas like The X-Files and Twin Peaks. His newest projects were when he made his return in The X-Files season 11 and when he joined the cast of The Craft: Legacy a couple of years ago. The only romantic film this dramatic actor has ever done was when he co-starred with Minnie Driver in Return to Me about a widower who falls for a heart transplant survivor who is carrying the heart of his late wife. Clearly, Meg Ryan sees Duchovny’s two decades away from the romance genre and raises her one decade away from it to achieve what we hope to be chemistry that will make audiences melt.

This new rom-com would be an amazing comeback opportunity for Meg Ryan. After all, in recent years, she has not had the best luck when it’s come to new projects. For example, her directorial debut was actually supposed to be Into the Beautiful which was announced four years before Ithaca, but was never made. She was also supposed to be the voiceover role in the pilot of How I Met Your Dad, which ended up not being picked up and passed. Now, Sex and the City’s Kim Cattrall has the voiceover role for Hulu’s How I Met Your Father. Luckily, there are still plans for Meg Ryan to star in the Epix comedy series Picture Paris which is based on the Brad Hall short film that starred Julia Louis Dreyfus. With her new rom-com film and her new TV series, hopefully everything will fall into place again for our classic rom-com queen.

Other than David Duchovny being Meg Ryan’s new leading man and the film directed by Ryan herself, here is what else we know so far about What Happens Later. According to Collider, this new rom-com is based on the play Shooting Star by acclaimed playwright Steven Dietz. He will adapt his own play for the big screen and collaborate with Meg Ryan and playwright Kirk Lynn who will all help with the writing. The plot of What Happens Later is about two ex-lovers who reunite decades later after being snowed in at the airport overnight. Over the course of the night, they feel they have no choice but to confront their past and see if there is any room for a future together. 

With hopes that we can eventually call What Happens Later a rom-com classic that we can keep close to our hearts, make sure to add it to your watchlist once the release date comes out. 

Whenever a Judd Apatow movie comes along you are almost guaranteed to see some of Hollywood’s biggest stars being put in rather ridiculous situations, but few of those compare to his latest film, The Bubble, which debuted on Netflix on April 1, 2022. The movie, which centers on a group of actors brought together to film the sixth installment in the fictional Cliff Beasts dinosaur franchise on a closed set, sounds like some fever dream, but it is all too real and the list of actors involved is something else.

The Bubble cast features everyone from the acclaimed director’s wife, Leslie Mann, and daughter, Iris Apatow, to Hollywood action stars like Karen Gillan and Pedro Pascal, and even David Duchovny, and that’s barely scratching the surface. With so many names involved, you know we had to go through and break down the entire cast from this hilarious COVID Netflix comedy.

Karen Gillan (Carol Cobb)

Leading The Bubble cast is Karen Gillan, who portrays Carol Cobb, one of the longtime stars of the Cliff Beasts franchise, which is now in its sixth installment when the new Netflix movie starts. And, just like her character, Gillan knows a thing or two about successful action franchises.

Gillan has been a part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe since she first played Nebula in Guardians of the Galaxy back in 2014 and has continued to pop up in some of the best Marvel Movies in that time. The actress, who had a breakout role on Doctor Who, has also been a part of the Jumanji franchise since the long-dormant property was brought back with 2017’s Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle. Her other credits include Gunpowder Milkshake, Stuber, and Oculus, to name a few.

Iris Apatow (Krystal Kris)

Iris Apatow, the daughter of director Judd Apatow and co-star Leslie Mann, pops up in The Bubble as Krystal Kris, a Tik Tok star who has recently joined the Cliff Beasts 6 cast.

Throughout her career, which started with a performance in her father’s 2007 romantic comedy Knocked Up, Apatow has appeared in a number of her dad’s films including Funny People and This is 40, as well as the Netflix original series Love, on which she portrayed Arya Hopkins.

Fred Armisen (Darren)

Taking on the role of Cliff Beasts 6 director Darren in The Bubble is former Saturday Night Live mainstay and Portlandia co-creator, Fred Armisen.

Throughout his career, Armisen has also appeared in countless movies, including Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy, Easy A, The Smurfs film franchise, and most recently The Mitchells vs. the Machines. Outside of SNL and Portlandia, Armisen has been a part of shows like Crank Yankers, Brooklyn Nine-Nine, Documentary Now!, Big Mouth, and Late Night with Seth Meyers, where he serves as the late night talk show’s band leader.

Maria Bakalova (Annika)

Maria Bakalova plays Annika, one of the employees at the hotel where the Cliff Beasts 6 cast is holed up during the closed shoot in The Bubble.

Bakalova is most recognizable from her appearance in Borat Subsequent Moviefilm, in which she portrayed Sacha Baron Cohen’s on-screen teenage daughter, Tutar Sagdiyev. Her performance was met with universal praise and earned her a Critic’s Choice Award and nominations at the Academy Awards, Golden Globes, BAFTA Film Awards, and Screen Actors Guild Awards, to name a few. Her other work includes Bulgarian dramas Transgression and Last Call, as well as the 2022 A24 horror movie Bodies Bodies Bodies.

David Duchovny (Dustin Mulray)

Taking on the role of Dustin Mulray, another mainstay of the Cliff Beasts dinosaur action franchise in The Bubble, is David Duchovny, who brings with him years of experience in comedy, sci-fi, and just about every other genre imaginable in film and TV.

Best known for his portrayal of FBI Special Agent Fox Mulder on the long-running supernatural thriller series, The X-Files, and its film adaptations, Duchovny is also remembered for leading the comedy-drama series Californication as Hank Moody, with both roles earning him Golden Globe Awards and other accolades. Duchovny’s other work includes Aquarius, Twin Peaks (the 2017 revival), Evolution, and Beethoven.

Keegan-Michael Key (Sean Knox)

Keegan-Michael Key shows up in The Bubble as Sean Knox, another longtime member of the Cliff Beasts franchise, and one who seems to be down for any and all stunts.

Although best recognized for the long-running sketch comedy show, Key & Peele, alongside Jordan Peele, Key has an extensive body of work outside the hit Comedy Central series, including Mad TV, Reno 911!, Whose Line is it Anyway?, Friends from College, and Schmigadoon!, to name just a few. His film work includes a great deal of animated features like Toy Story 4, The Lion King, the Hotel Transylvania series, and the upcoming Super Mario Bros. movie.

Leslie Mann (Lauren Van Chance)

Showing up as Cliff Beasts franchise star Lauren Van Chance in The Bubble is Leslie Mann, who has appeared in a number of her husband’s films, including The 40-Year-Old Virgin, Knocked Up, Funny People, and several others over the years.

Throughout her career, Mann has been a part of several dozen other film projects including George of the Jungle, Big Daddy, Orange County, Blockers, Motherless Brooklyn, and Blithe Spirit, to name just a small portion of her film work. Man has also popped up on shows like Freaks and Geeks, Modern Family, and The Simpsons. She is next set to lead the upcoming Amazon original series, The Power.

Pedro Pascal (Dieter)

Taking on the role of Dieter, one of the members of the Cliff Beasts 6 cast, in The Bubble, is Pedro Pascal, who fans of The Mandalorian will recognize from the sound of his, oh so familiar, voice.

In addition to playing one of the most badass Star Wars characters introduced in quite some time, Pascal has also made his mark on TV with explosive performances on shows like Game of Thrones and Narcos (with The Last of Us HBO series on the way). Pascal has a great deal of film credits to his name as well, including Wonder Woman 1984, Kingsman: The Golden Circle, If Beale Street Could Talk, and the ridiculous upcoming Nicolas Cage action comedy, The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent.

Peter Serafinowicz (Gavin)

Peter Serafinowicz shows up in The Bubble as Gavin, the producer of Cliff Beasts 6 who has been put in the unenviable position of making sure the production doesn’t go off the rails.

One of the actors who have appeared in Star Wars and the Marvel Cinematic Universe (he voiced Darth Maul in Star Wars: Episode I — The Phantom Menace and Solo: A Star Wars Story and portrayed Denarian Garthan Saal in Guardians of the Galaxy), Serafinowicz has also popped up in movies like Shaun of the Dead, The World’s End, and John Wick: Chapter 2 throughout his career. He has also appeared in dozens of TV shows, with some of the most notable being The Tick, Archer, and South Park.

Guz Khan (Howie Frangopoulos)

Guz Khan appears in The Bubble cast as Howie Frangopoulos, another longtime actor in the successful yet out-of-this-world dinosaur action franchise, Cliff Beasts.

Fans of the Netflix original movie Army of Thieves will certainly recognize Khan from his portrayal of Rolph in the 2021 heist comedy, but that’s just one part of the British comedian’s career. Since making his debut in 2016, Khan has had major roles on shows like Borderline, Zapped, Man Like Mobeen, and Our Flag Means Death, as well a few movies, including Finding Fatimah and Walk Like a Panther.

Harry Travaldewyn (Gunther)

Relative newcomer and star-in-the-making Harry Travaldewyn shows up in The Bubble cast as Gunther, the COVID-19 compliance officer who is constantly trying to keep everyone healthy (from COVID, anyway) and under control on the set of Cliff Beasts 6 so that the movie's complicated production can finally come to a close.

The new Judd Apatow movie is only Travaldewyn’s second film credit to date, with his previous feature film being the Netflix historical drama, The King, in 2019. He’s next set to appear on the TV series Call My Agent and in the upcoming comedy-drama, Sweet Sue.

Nick Kocher (Scott)

Taking on the Scott, a member of the Cliff Beasts 6 crew, in The Bubble is former Saturday Night Live writer Nick Kocher, who has appeared in a number of movies, shows, and short films throughout his career.

A co-founder of the internet sketch comedy duo BriTANick alongside Brian McElhaney, Kocher has made brief appearances on shows like The Movie Show, CollegeHumor Originals, Next Time on Lonny, How I Met Your Mother, and Louie. His film credits include Awesometown, Much Ado About Nothing, and Balls Out.

Hopefully, this helps you make sense of the massive The Bubble cast and where you’ve seen the stars before. But, this is just the beginning of the list as Kate McKinnon, Rob Delaney, Vir Das, and multiple other familiar faces pop up from time to time in Judd Apatow’s latest effort. If you want to know what other movies are coming to the popular streaming service, check out our breakdown of the 2022 Netflix movie schedule.

And, if you haven't already, you can stream The Bubble on Netflix.

No matter what David Duchovny does in his career, many fans will always think of him as Fox Mulder from The X-Files — the passionate FBI agent always in pursuit of the truth. But he’s also shown over the years that he’s not afraid to go to the extreme for the sake of comedy (see: all of Californication, any cameo where he plays himself). In the new Netflix series The Chair, David Duchovny resurrected one particularly memorable moment from The X-Files in a scene with series star Sandra Oh by donning a red Speedo. You know the one. It's right above.

For a character like Mulder who rarely was seen wearing anything but work attire, it’s no mystery why seeing him in a red Speedo would throw fans into a frenzy, but it couldn’t have been predicted how enduring the image would be after so long. David Duchovny gave The Chair showrunner Amanda Peet and star Sandra Oh the credit for the bare-chested callback and resurrection of the barely there garment, according to EW. In his words:

That’s some pretty high praise for Amanda Peet, and shows how much trust David Duchovny had in her and former Grey's Anatomy star Sandra Oh. It’s a huge thing to put a piece of your iconography into someone’s hands, and it’s a whole other thing to wear a Speedo on camera more than 25 years after The X-Files episode in question.

For The Chair fans who might not have witnessed the scarlet Speedo's original appearance, The X-Files Season 2 episode “Duane Barry” featured Agent Krycek approaching Mulder at the FBI pool as the agent was swimming laps, to talk about assisting on a case. As Mulder emerged from the pool in that bright red Speedo, 1994 TV audiences witnessed a fashion moment on par with the lifeguards on Baywatch, just with less slowed-down bouncing.

The Chair played to that scene in Episode 5, “The Last Bus in Town,” which had Sandra Oh’s Ji-Yoon Kim visiting David Duchovny (playing a satirical version of himself) at his house to discuss an upcoming Distinguished Lecture at the university where she served as chair. Ji-Yoon’s reaction when she saw Duchovny in the Speedo was priceless (and much less subtle than Duchovny’s co-star on The X-Files), literally hiding behind a plant when Duchovny climbed out of the pool and nonchalantly asked if she was okay.

The moment was fun for fans who remembered The X-Files scene, but prior knowledge of David Duchovny’s swimwear was not required to follow his overall delightful arc on The Chair. In talking to Ji-Yoon, Duchovny casually dropped in facts about himself, his books, his band and his degrees (all true to life). Now if only The Crown's Gillian Anderson had been around as an equally satirical version of herself.

The Chair, starring Sandra Oh, is streaming now on Netflix. Be sure to check out our 2021 Fall TV schedule to keep up with the upcoming premieres of all your favorite shows.

Gillian Anderson became an icon on the small screen thanks to her work opposite David Duchovny on The X-Files, and now the actress has shared a look at her recent reunion with her longtime co-star. Considering that the two have reunited to reprise their roles as Agents Scully and Mulder a number of times since the original run of the Fox series came to an end, even with no sign of another revival season it's hard not to wonder what brought them back together.

Judging by the company that Gillian Anderson and David Duchovny are keeping in the photos that Anderson shared of their reunion, they may well have gotten together for reasons that have nothing to do with investigations into the paranormal and a will they/won't they TV dynamic that hooked and frustrated viewers for decades. Take a look:

Gillian Anderson and David Duchovny weren't just hanging out with each other during their recent reunion, but also with Anderson's adorable dog Stella! The photos don't show a whole lot of Stella, but congratulations to her (and Duchovny) for making a new friend. The real X-File here might be why it took so long for fans to get to see this cute trio together. And since it didn't happen on their iconic show, there will probably be no aliens, government conspiracies, and/or cigarette-smoking men to cause any trouble!

Stella has turned up several times on Gillian Anderson's Instagram account since making her furry debut back in December 2020, but this is the first one that might get The X-Files fans thinking about a Mulder and Scully reunion. The duo returning to the roles that made them famous (although both have gone on to star in hit series since) wouldn't be unprecedented, as they came back together for The X-Files: I Want to Believe in 2008 and two seasons of an X-Files revival on Fox, with Season 10 in 2016 and Season 11 in 2018.

The Season 11 finale ended with plenty of unanswered questions, especially compared to the original series finale with Season 9 in 2002, but I'm guessing that I'm not the only longtime X-Files fan who would be fine with the show ending there. Season 11 delivered what I felt at the time was "the most WTF finale ever," and I'm perfectly happy to remember The X-Files heyday rather than getting more new episodes.

I'm guessing that it's far more likely that Gillian Anderson and David Duchovny reunited socially, although it's fun to imagine that this was Duchovny recruiting Anderson to appear in his upcoming TV show. Even that doesn't seem all that probable, with Gillian Anderson keeping plenty busy with her own projects, and recently winning a Golden Globe for her performance as Margaret Thatcher on The Crown.

For now, fans can catch Gillian Anderson and David Duchovny again with the eleven seasons of The X-Files (although Duchovny was absent for most of Seasons 8 and 9), all of which are streaming on Hulu now, among a number of great horror TV shows.

David Duchovny made a name for himself on television thanks to his long-running role on The X-Files as Fox Mulder, although he went on to star in Showtime's Californication in a role that was definitely different from Mulder. Now, Duchovny is slated to return to Showtime for a new project, and it is high time that somebody get Duchovny's X-Files screen partner Gillian Anderson to appear in a project with him again after the X-Files revival ended on Fox in 2018.

The project bringing David Duchovny back to Showtime is potential series adaptation of the novel Truly Like Lightning, which Duchovny wrote and was published back in February 2021. Deadline reports that the potential Truly Like Lightning show has already received a script order in the development process, with Duchovny attached to play the leading man, write the adaptation, and executive produce if the script order results in a series order. Also on board are Tyler Nilson and Michael Schwartz, who wrote and directed The Peanut Butter Falcon. They would direct and executive produce the series.

So, what does that have to do with Gillian Anderson? Well, the plot of Truly Like Lightning could provide some potential characters for Anderson, and her roles ranging from The X-Files to Sex Education to play a sex therapist to The Crown prove that she has the range to do more than just play the skeptic to David Duchovny's believer during their time on the Fox series. The plot centers on Bronson Powers, to be played by Duchovny, who is a former Hollywood stuntman with three wives and ten children who has embraced a life off the grid and unplugged in the desert of Joshua Tree.

Bronson's life is turned upside down when a real estate developer attempts to ruthlessly force him off his desert land, which could result in his family being exposed to the temptations of modern 21st century America, which Bronson had tried to leave behind. The book is described as "a heartbreaking meditation on family, religion, sex, greed, human nature, and the vanishing environment of an ancient desert," and the real estate developer in the novel is a female character.

Between the three wives and the real estate developer, there are four characters right there that Gillian Anderson could play for an adaptation! With David Duchovny so heavily involved with the potential project plus preexisting ties with Showtime, it's not unimaginable that he could bring Anderson in if she was so inclined and had the time.

Admittedly, there is the point that at least some viewers might focus more on the X-Files reunion than anything happening in the new show, but Duchovny and Anderson are skilled enough actors that working opposite each other on such a different project could totally work, right? As a veteran X-Files fan, I have to say that I'd rather see Anderson as a separate and more distinct character than one of three wives. Although it would be fun to actually get to see them play love interests on screen for once after the Mulder/Scully situation!

For his part, David Duchovny has said that he's "so excited to be heading back home to Showtime" and that he "can't wait to begin" the new collaboration for Truly Like Lightning. There is no guarantee at this point that Truly Like Lightning will get a series order, but with the writer of the book so heavily involved and formerly starring and executive producing a hit for the network, I can definitely see David Duchovny getting his project off the ground and adapted into a TV show, with or without Gillian Anderson for another X-Files reunion.

If you want to relive David Duchovny and Gillian Anderson's days together as Mulder and Scully, you can find the full run of The X-Files (including the divisive pair of revival seasons) streaming on Hulu now.

Massive spoilers ahead for The Craft: Legacy.

Every October comes with a slew of new horror movies, arriving just in time for moviegoers who are hoping to get in one scare. Despite theater closures this still occurred last month, with a few projects arriving straight to homes. This was the case with Zoe Lister-Jones' The Craft: Legacy, which was a follow-up to the the original 1996 cult classic. The new Craft movie told an entirely new story, complete with a new villain. And now the director/writer has opened up about how she came up with her movie's antagonist.

The Craft: Legacy plays out differently than its predecessor in a variety of ways, most importantly with how the members of the coven interact with each other. Rather than turning on each other in an a sequence reminiscent of Nancy and Sarah in Andrew Fleming's original, the villain ended up being David Duchovny's Adam who was out for Lilly's powers. Zoe Lister-Jones explained this choice, saying:

Well, there you have it. Like the 1996 original, The Craft: Legacy is a movie that addresses the issues facing modern teenage women. In addition to having the coven be a diverse group of witches, they battle misogyny in a variety of ways throughout the movie's 90-minute runtime. David Duchovny's character Adam is a prime example of this, as he promotes ultra-masculinity before using his own dark magic in the film's third act.

Before Adam is revealed to be The Craft: Legacy's villain, he was shown as Zoe Lister-Jones describes a "men's rights activist." He's an accomplished author who writes about masculinity, and is always trying to make his three sons tougher. Eventually these ideas are fleshed out when David Duchovny's character is revealed to be in a pagan cult that hunts the powers of witches.

The final battle sequence of The Craft: Legacy is where Zoe Lister-Jones gives David Duchovny the chance to be truly villainous, with Adam even getting an evil monologue in the process. Additionally he has a magical battle with the four witches of the coven, with their combined elemental powers eventually winning the day. It's a sequence that bare almost no resemblance to the final sequence in the original movie, with the women staying united rather than dividing and battling each other.

It should be interesting to see if a sequel for The Craft: Legacy ends up happening. Zoe Lister-Jones revealed that she had a story in mind for another installment, especially following the movie's twist ending. The final moments of Legacy revealed that Lilly was actually the birth daughter or Nancy Downs, with Fairuza Balk herself briefly appearing. Only time will tell.

The Craft: Legacy is currently available via video on demand. In the meantime, check out our 2020 release list to plan your next movie experience.

The following article contains soft spoilers (and one big one related to the end) for The Craft: Legacy, so you might want to watch the film before ruining the magic by reading along.

Few movie genres have evolved as fascinatingly as horror, with each passing era spawning the chance for stylistic reinvention and a reintroduction of old favorites to the next generation. Lately, that seems to be a primary goal of Blumhouse, whose latest release is a follow-up to The Craft, which follows a four high school girls who discover the joys (and dangers) of practicing witchcraft. Just like its predecessor, The Craft: Legacy cast puts a new quartet of up-and-coming actresses at the center, but also includes a few more familiar faces.

Written and directed by actress Zoe Lister-Jones in her second feature-length effort behind the camera, The Craft: Legacy has some of the DNA of a direct sequel 24 years in the making, but really aims to tell a new story from the perspective a young woman (Caliee Spaeny) struggling to adjust under a new roof in a new town. She finds an escape in three classmates (Zoey Luna, Gideon Adlon, and Lovie Simone) who invite her into their coven, which becomes the catalyst for some unusual, life-changing circumstances and disturbing revelations as well.

One aspect of The Craft: Legacy that it can boast having over the 1996 original (which also starred Neve Campbell and Skeet Ulrich of Scream fame), is even more cultural diversity within the main quartet of spell casters, as well as supporting characters who may even go deeper to explore social issues of the modern era. Yet, the biggest question on many fans’ minds after watching this new story must be, What do I recognize these people from? We can surely answer that for you by taking a look at the resumes of its 11 most notable cast members.

Cailee Spaeny (Lily)

The young witch who is the central focus of The Craft: Legacy is Lily, played by Cailee Spaeny - a 23-year-old Missouri-born actress who is already no stranger to fantasy, having made her feature film debut in 2018’s Pacific Rim: Uprising piloting a Jaeger against a new Kaiju army. That same year, she also played the victim of a different sort of cultish activity in Bad Times at El Royale, as well as two people closely connected to real life-historical figures (a younger version of Dick Cheney’s wife, Lynne, in Vice and Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s daughter, Jane, in On the Basis of Sex). Spaeny’s singer-songwriter talents will be exhibited when her debut single “Fallin” appears in her next film The Shoes, which is currently in post-production.

Zoey Luna (Lourdes)

In an example of LGBTQ+ representation refreshingly unique to its predecessor, The Craft: Legacy includes a transgender woman in the coven played by Latina actress Zoey Luna, who was the subject of a 2017 documentary about her gender identity struggles called Raising Zoey. She makes her feature-length film debut as teen witch Lourdes after breaking out in the acting world in Rosario Dawson’s 2019 short Boundless, followed by an appearance on Season 2 of Pose - an FX series from the creators of American Horror Story. Luna will star as the lead of the upcoming film Cielo Azul, once again playing a transgender role and showing signs of a trailblazing career for her community in the media.

Gideon Adlon (Frankie)

Possibly showing signs of a trailblazing career bringing witchcraft back to the mainstream is Gideon Adlon, who will follow her role as Frankie in The Craft: Legacy playing the lead of Witch Hunt - a political satire set a modern world that outlaws magic and currently expected for a 2020 release. The 23-year-old rising star previously encountered the supernatural as the voice of Violet in Telltale’s video game adaptation of The Walking Dead and on Netflix’s teen sci-fi drama The Society, which reunited her with her Blockers co-star Kathryn Newton. Adlon has also made notable guest appearances on TV series like Louie, Girl Meets World, and Better Things, an FX comedy co-created by and starring her mother, Pamela Adlon.

Lovie Simone (Tabby)

Unlike a few of her co-stars, The Craft: Legacy is the first foray into the supernatural for Lovie Simone, who plays Tabby. However, the 21-year-old one actress has proven herself as a strong force of talent since breaking out in a starring role on the Oprah Winfrey-produced soap opera Greenleaf. She also plays the title character of Amazon original high school film Selah and the Spades, gave a memorable performance in Netflix’s Covid-19 era anthology series Social Distance, and will appear on Power Book III: Raising Kanan - an announced prequel to the hit crime drama on Starz.

Nicholas Galitzine (Timmy)

Lovie Simone also starred in an HBO original teen mystery thriller called Share, which also starred her The Craft: Legacy co-star Nicholas Galitzine, whose character Timmy undergoes a magical transition from Lily’s bully to “less of a garbage person.” The English-born 26-year-old debuted as a teen mentored by a washed-up rock star played by the late Luke Perry in 2014’s The Beat Beneath My Feet before playing a violinist falling in love with a beautiful dancer (Keenan Kampa) in High Strung, and a very troubled teen in the 2019 Netflix original horror series Chambers alongside Uma Thurman. He will next star in a new musical version of Cinderella as the royal love interest of Camilla Cabello in the title role.

Donald MacLean Jr. (Isaiah)

Revealed to have an interesting connection to Timmy in The Craft: Legacy is Lily’s stepbrother Isaiah, played by Donald MacLean Jr. The sequel is the young actor’s first movie, but not his first time acting opposite a witch - namely his recurring spot as Seth Allen short-lived Netflix series October Faction, which is based on a comic book about a monster hunting agency. He is otherwise well known for this starring role on the Canadian medical Nurses.

Charles Vandervaart (Jacob)

Starring as Isaiah’s younger brother, Jacob, is Charles Vandervaart, whose role in The Craft: Legacy actually marks his second time as Donald MacLearn Jr.’s onscreen sibling after playing a young Fred Allen on October Faction. He previously starred alongside the Jonas Brothers and Demi Lovato in Disney Channel’s Camp Rock 2: The Final Jam, has a supporting role in the supernatural teen romance Every Day, and plays Holly Hobbie’s brother, Robby, on the Hulu original series based on the titular greeting card icon. Vandervant is also expected to appear in Season 3 of Lost in Space, which will also be the sci-fi series’ final season on Netflix.

Julian Grey (Abe)

The youngest of Lily’s stepbrothers is Abe, played by 14-year-old Julian Grey - who has become one of the more experienced child actors of his time since leading the three-minute horror short Urban Reptile when he was just 7. He also previously got a taste of supernatural on the Twin Peaks-esque Fox series Wayward Pines, played the son of a slippery sheriff in Netflix’s 7-part western Godless, and called Will Ferrell and Julia Louis-Dreyfus his parents in the family tragicomedy Downhill.

Michelle Monaghan (Helen)

While not being very well known for horror movies before playing Lily’s mother Helen in The Craft: Legacy, Michelle Monaghan’s filmography is chock-full of variety. She received praise from Ben Affleck’s Gone Baby Gone, was nominated for a Golden Globe for Season 1 of True Detective, and has captured the eye of Robert Downey Jr. twice, playing his childhood dream girl in Kiss Kiss Bang Bang and his pregnant wife in Due Date. However, you might recognize her best as Tom Crusie’s ex-wife, Jules, from the Mission: Impossible franchise.

David Duchovny (Adam)

Perhaps the most recognizable face from The Craft: Legacy is David Duchovny, whose role as Lily’s stepfather Adam (a motivational speaker with odd secrets of his own) is just the latest addition to his legacy as a “scream king,” despite trying his hand at everything. The 60-year-old has two Golden Globes, one from playing Mulder on sci-fi crime procedural The X-Files and the other as sex addict Hank Moody on Californication. He would also, sort of, lampoon his UFO-chasing definitive character in the 2001 comedy Evolution and also reprised his early role of transgender FBI agent Denise Bryson on the 2017 revival of Twin Peaks.

Fairuza Balk (Nancy Downs)

Speaking of reprisals, the biggest and most pleasant surprise in The Craft: Legacy would come at the end when Lily discovers that her birth mother is Nancy Downs, played once again by Fairuza Balk. The 46-year-old actress was a fan favorite of the original The Craft, having previously played Dorothy in Return to Oz (the infamously dark 1985 Wizard of Oz sequel), and would go on to steal more scenes in American History X, The Waterboy, and Almost Famous, to name a few. There is still more witchcraft in store for Balk in the upcoming rock ’n roll fantasy series Paradise City.

What do you think? Was Fairuza Balk’s appearance as Nancy Downs in The Craft: Legacy the icing on the cake in your eyes, or do you feel the rest of the cast was good enough for the film to survive on its own. Let us know in the comments and be sure to check back for additional information and updates on Blumhouse’s supernatural sequel, as well as even more retrospectives on what the cast members of your movies and TV shows have been up to, here on CinemaBlend.

The X-Files was one of the biggest shows of the 1990s, and Agents Mulder and Scully became pop culture icons. They made their way back into the limelight in early 2016 with a Fox revival series that served as Season 10, and even more X-Files is still to come. September 10 marked the 24th anniversary of the series' premiere way back in 1993, when Mulder and Scully were still perky young agents who hadn't been abducted and/or harvested just yet. Both the stars and the network found ways to celebrate the anniversary that are pretty fabulous. Take look at Gillian Anderson and David Duchovny's contributions!

Gillian Anderson kicked off the social media celebrations with a Twitter post featuring Mulder and Scully in their very first case as partners, back when Scully was meant to debunk Spooky Mulder's investigations into the paranormal. That particular plot of the Cigarette-Smoking Man and Co. didn't go over as intended, which has led to 24 years of X. David Duchovny responded to Anderson's tweet with a cute comment of his own, along with an alien emoji. The exchange just makes me want to start whistling the theme song and planning to rewatch some classic X-Files episodes.

Luckily, Fox has made it a lot easier for fans to rewatch the pilot of The X-Files. The network is celebrating the show's 24th anniversary (and all the success it has brought Fox over the years) by making the pilot available streaming on Fox.com and the Fox Now app. If it's been a while since you've seen the episode or just want to give the pilot a try, it'll be streaming for two weeks with all the dated 90s fashion and technology we could possibly want.

We won't have to wait too much longer for more some new episodes courtesy of Fox. The X-Files is returning for another batch of revival episodes at some point in 2018, and the actors are currently filming. While Season 11 won't debut with many other returning shows in the fall, we can probably expect it around midseason 2018, which is when we got Season 10 back in 2016.

Not too many plot details have yet been released about what's to come in Season 11, although we can only hope that the payoff of that infuriating cliffhanger will answer some of the huge questions we still have about the series. David Duchovny and Gillian Anderson will be back for the season, along with Mitch Pileggi as the long-suffering Walter Skinner, Annabeth Gish as the enigmatic Monica Reyes, and Robbie Amell and Lauren Ambrose as Agents Miller and Einstein. It hasn't been confirmed if William B. Davis will be back as the Cigarette-Smoking Man, but the events of the cliffhanger indicate that he'll probably at least show up in the Season 11 premiere.

Stay tuned to CinemaBlend for the latest in TV news, and be sure to drop by our breakdown of what we know so far about The X-Files Season 11. Our fall TV guide can point you toward what you can watch while we wait for the new season on Fox.

The X-Files is coming back to the small screen for another round of revival action. Fans have been waiting ever since February 2016 for more Mulder and Scully, but it was a while before we even knew for sure that the show would be back for another season at all. Given the killer cliffhanger from the Season 10 finale, it definitely came as good news when we learned that Fox had ordered a new batch of episodes. Production on Season 11 kicked off this summer, and leading lady Gillian Anderson has shared a behind-the-scenes look:

Well, it seems that Mulder is going to make a full recovery from what ailed him at the end of Season 10, if David Duchovny's dapper look is anything to go by. Mulder was circling the drain last time we saw him, and Scully believed that his only chance at survival was an infusion of their son's stem cells. Whether the dynamic duo really does reunite with their long-lost son is still up in the air; Mulder's survival isn't. He'll be back, undoubtedly pitching his bizarre theories yet again.

Of course, there wasn't exactly much doubt that Mulder was going to recover. Seasons 8 and 9 really proved that The X-Files was the partnership of Mulder and Scully as much as it was about aliens and monsters and conspiracies. There was no way the show was going to kill off Mulder. Still, it's nice to see David Duchovny suited up in his special agent ensemble. He really wasn't looking too great the last time we saw him as Mulder.

Gillian Anderson's Twitter pic is a fun look at what's to come in Season 11, although it leaves some returning characters out. We know that Mitch Pileggi will be back as the long-suffering Skinner, and Annabeth Gish will reprise her role as Monica Reyes. Robbie Amell and Lauren Ambrose will be back as well, although we don't know how much of them well see as the FBI's other believer/redheaded skeptic duo.

Season 11 will run for ten full episodes, which is four more than the six we got in Season 10. No premiere date has yet been set, but the goal is for the show to air in 2018. Hopefully the new batch of episodes will come earlier rather than later in the new year. We'll have to wait and see.

For more of what's to come in the new season of The X-Files, check out our breakdown of what we know so far. We've also broken down four questions we want answered in Season 11, so take a look and let us know your thoughts in the comments! For your viewing options while we wait for The X-Files to return to the airwaves in 2018, swing by our fall TV premiere guide. Fox is debuting a comedy that looks surprisingly similar to The X-Files that could definitely be worth the watch.

The X-Files was one of the biggest shows on television during its original run, even inspiring two feature films all about the investigations of Mulder and Scully. Fox brought the show back for a revival Season 10 back in early 2016, and fans got a combination of the mythology, aliens, and monsters that made The X-Files what it was back in the early days. Now, we have to look ahead to the next chapter of the X-Files saga. So, join me in whistling that old theme song, wanting to believe, and trusting that Season 11 is out there. Check out our breakdown of everything we know so far about the future of The X-Files on Fox!

Is The X-Files Renewed?

For quite a while after Season 10 came to an end, it felt like The X-Files was done for good. Sure, Fox and David Duchovny were openly eager to return for more, but Gillian Anderson had her reservations about how much time she would have to spend away from her family to reprise the role of Scully once more, and there's no classic X-Files without both Mulder and Scully in the middle of the action, as Season 9 proved way back in 2001. The longer it took for news to break, the less likely a Season 11 seemed. Then came the announcement that Duchovny and Anderson would be voicing their characters in an audio book. With no accompanying announcement of a TV reunion, that could have been it.

Luckily, it didn't take too much longer for Fox to break the news that The X-Files has officially been renewed for Season 11. The infuriating cliffhanger will be resolved, and we'll get to watch even more monsters, conspiracies, and probably aliens when we get the next batch of episodes.

How Many Episodes Will Be In The X-Files Season 11?

Fox has officially ordered 10 episodes of Season 11 of The X-Files, which is an increase of four from the six-episode Season 10. The ten-episode order falls in line with David Duchovny's previous statements that six episodes was too short for a season but he and Gillian Anderson could definitely not come back for another full 22-episode season. Ten episodes should allow the X-Files team to answer some of the lingering questions from Season 10, delve into new chapters of the mythology with enough detail to make sense, and introduce some entertaining new monsters and mysteries. We'll have to wait and see how many episodes will be Monster of the Week and how many will be devoted to the mythology.

When Will The X-Files Season 11 Premiere?

No official premiere date has yet been set for Season 11, although Fox has announced that it will air at some point in the 2017-2018 TV season. Production is slated to begin this summer. Season 10 aired as a midseason event series, beginning in January and ending in February. Given the huge ratings success The X-Files brought to Fox in early 2016, the odds are pretty good that the network will air Season 11 around the same time. It will obviously run for longer with a ten-episode order, but there's plenty of time in early midseason. We can only speculate at this point, but midseason 2018 is a pretty solid guess.

Who Will Be Back?

At this point, the only big names definitively attached to Season 11 are David Duchovny as Fox Mulder, Gillian Anderson as Dana Scully, and series creator Chris Carter as executive producer. The chances are good that William B. Davis will be back as the Cigarette-Smoking Man, and I know I'd be heartbroken if Mitch Pileggi didn't return yet again as the long-suffering Walter Skinner. Agents Miller and Einstein were still in the mix in the Season 10 finale, so they would make for logical additions to at least the Season 11 premiere. We've probably seen the last of the Lone Gunmen, and both John Doggett and Kersh are probably off the table, but we can likely count on plenty of familiar faces.

Where Did We Leave Off?

The Season 10 finale ended with the fate of the human race in jeopardy thanks to the Spartan virus. Scully came up with a cure, but the crisis was still on a global scale, and she was slightly distracted by the fact that Mulder was circling the drain. Then, what looked an awful lot like an alien spaceship arrived overhead after she mentioned needing to track down her long lost son William. We'll need to see the cliffhanger resolved and some expansion on the William story before we can get back into the Monster of the Week cases at the FBI, so my guess is that Season 11 will get off to a pretty exciting start.

What Questions Still Need To Be Answered?

Any longtime fan of The X-Files knows that there are already about ten years and two movies' worth of questions that are still unanswered, but some are more pressing than others. We've already come up with four huge questions that we absolutely need answered (and you can check out our picks here), but there are plenty left. Who is helping the Cigarette-Smoking Man? Is Scully really immortal? How is Mulder better at hand-to-hand fighting now than when he was a spry 30-something agent? What happened to Doggett? How was William conceived naturally if Scully literally had no ova left?

Obviously, some questions are more likely than others to actually be answered. I've pretty much given up on the answer to the William question, unless somebody cranks up the Moby and convinces Chris Carter to write out a flow chart. Still, there are some that Season 11 almost certainly will address.

Could A Spinoff Happen?

There was all kinds of spinoff chatter when Robbie Amell and Lauren Ambrose were cast as Agents Miller and Einstein, and then even more chatter once their characters debuted as Mulder and Scully 2.0, but nothing ever came of it. The return of Original Recipe Mulder and Scully for Season 11 naturally gets the priority over The X-Files 2.0, but there's still the chance of a spinoff. If one of the episodes of Season 11 is a backdoor pilot, I'd say that it's possible Fox is at least considering Miller and Einstein as stars of a spinoff. We'll have to wait and see.

Stay tuned to CinemaBlend for the latest in The X-Files news, and don't forget to check out our summer TV premiere schedule to discover all your viewing options now and in the coming weeks. Be sure to drop by our rundowns for cable/streaming and broadcast TV renewals and cancellations as well. Our TV season finale schedule can give you all you need to know about your favorite shows ending.

When you're a small screen actor who has been nominated for numerous Emmys and Golden Globes several times over, flattery tends to come quite easily. However, that doesn't mean that a guy like David Duchovny would ever get tired of hearing encouraging things about his work, and certain people made very specific impressions on him in his time as an actor. With that in mind, it turns out that the nicest compliment David Duchovny has ever received throughout the course of his career came from the late, great Garry Shandling during Duchovny's first day filming on The Larry Sanders Show. Duchovny explained:

David Duchovny recently penned an editorial piece for TVInsider to celebrate the life of the late Garry Shandling and described that anecdote in vivid detail. Although Duchovny had already established himself as rising star actor by the time he collaborated with Shandling on The Larry Sanders Show, the comedian's kind words resonated with him on a profound level. Duchovny was quite vocal and adamant about his love for The Larry Sanders Show in his touching essay, so it's awesome to hear such a compliment from someone he admired stuck with him.

David Duchovny's Season 5 appearance on The Larry Sanders Show is generally considered a major highlight of the series. The episode "Everybody Loves Larry" revolves heavily on Larry's growing suspicion that David Duchovny has developed a sexual attraction to him -- which is a recipe for perfectly neurotic comedy. It's a beautifully crafted episode, and it features some of the best awkward humor on HBO prior to the advent of Curb Your Enthusiasm.

Check out one of the best scenes from "Everybody Loves Larry" below:

That experience on The Larry Sanders Show wouldn't be the last time that these two icons would collaborate with one another. David Duchovny also described directing Garry Shandling on an episode of The X-Files, and remarked upon the late comedian's work ethic and insistence on making his own performance seem as effortless as possible -- despite his own insecurities about taking on certain roles. Throughout each of Duchovny's stories, it's clear he developed a deep-seated admiration for Shandling.

David Duchovny has experienced a long and successful career as a dramatic and comedic actor, but we're still not even remotely surprised to learn that he looks back so fondly on Garry Shandling's flattery in those early years. We would, too. It was insanely difficult to say goodbye to Shandling earlier this year, but Duchovny will likely always cherish that memory. R.I.P. once more, Mr. Shandling.

CinemaBlend will bring you any and all relevant television news as more updates become available to us. Make sure to check out our comprehensive midseason premiere guide and fill out your spring TV viewing schedules accordingly.

It looks like now we'll never know what happened to the Manson Family. After airing two seasons, the historical period drama Aquarius has been cancelled by NBC. The Peacock Network aired two seasons of the series, but after some lackluster ratings and multiple moves in its schedule, NBC is deciding to pull the plug on the drama. The series was led by David Duchovny and created by John McNamara.

The Hollywood Reporter has learned that Aquarius will not be returning to the air for a Season 3. The drama was originally picked up straight to full series and premiered in the summer of 2015. After airing the first episode, NBC decided to post the entire 12 episode season online for streaming, which was made available for four weeks. This made Aquarius the first broadcast show in TV history to use this unique marketing strategy. The odd move was seen as an experiment at the time, but now it looks like just the first step to the show's eventual cancellation.

Aquarius was never able to generate very high ratings or buzz which was likely the key factor in its cancellation. Season 1 aired at a dismal 1.05 rating with adults 18-49, though that number climbed somewhat when factoring in delayed viewings. Despite the ratings, NBC gave the show a surprise early renewal for Season 2. The second season premiered in June 2016 on Thursday with a two-hour episode. Strangely enough, NBC ran this two-hour block ad free, but it was still only able to generate a 0.4 rating. The ratings declined through the weeks, and eventually the show's fate was cemented when it was moved to Saturday- the TV graveyard. The accidental series finale aired on September 10 with a 0.2 rating.

Set in Los Angeles in 1967, the series followed David Duchovny as Detective Sam Hodiak, who was tasked with the investigation of a missing teenage girl, only to learn that she had taken up with the Manson Family. Gethin Anthony played Charles Manson with a cast that was rounded out by Grey Damon, Claire Holt, Ambyr Childers, and Madisen Beaty.

If there is a silver lining in this cancellation, it's that it frees up Duchovny for more X-Files. The six-episode Season 10 revival of the classic sci-fi procedural drew big ratings for Fox last winter, and things have been looking hopeful for a Season 11. If Fox can get series creator Chris Carter and stars Duchovny and Gillian Anderson, then a new season is basically a done deal. Plus, how can we go another year without seeing that Mulder Smoulder on television?

The fall TV season is just getting started, so check out or TV premiere schedule to learn which of your favorite shows are returning to the air.

Fans of The X-Files have had a pretty grand year in 2016. Mulder and Scully returned to the small screen for the first time in more than a decade to do some fresh investigations into the paranormal. The big return was originally touted as a Season 10 miniseries event, but the huge success has meant that Fox is open to more X-Files in the future. The only real sour note about all things _X _- that is, aside from the excruciatingly frustrating cliffhanger in the Season 10 finale - was that there were only six new episodes. According to star David Duchovny, the low episode count is something that would be worth changing for a Season 11.

David Duchovny's reveal to TVInsider that he'd be game for more than six episodes of another season of The X-Files is a definite reason for fans to get excited about what's in store for the future of the series. Duchovny previously said he didn't think he or co-star Gillian Anderson would be up for a season of 20+ episodes, so his pitch for more than six but less than twenty-two sounds just about right. Duchovny has admitted that he had a hard time slipping back into some aspects of Mulder's character after being away for so long. It's encouraging to know that he's willing to continue to reprise Mulder for more episodes in the future.

Of course, David Duchovny wanting more than six episodes doesn't mean that we'll be getting more than six episodes. In fact, there's no saying if and/or when we might be getting any more episodes at all. Fourteen years passed before the stars could align to reunite Duchovny, Gillian Anderson, and creator Chris Carter for another go at television. Anderson has expressed reluctance to hop back on the X-Files train again due to the fact that her life is currently based in London. A commute between Canada and the U.K. isn't one that any actress would likely want to make on a regular basis, and I personally wouldn't blame her if she still harbored some bitterness at being offered only half of what Duchovny was set to be paid for Season 10. She recently landed a role in the adaptation of Neil Gaiman's American Gods, so she'll certainly be busy.

The X-Files obviously wouldn't work without both David Duchovny and Gillian Anderson on board. If Seasons 8 and 9 of the original run of the series are proof of anything, it's that the partnership of Mulder and Scully is what sparks the real magic of The X-Files. Hopefully, the two actors will be able to line up their schedules in a way that will bring a longer Season 11 onto our screens sooner rather than later. I'd frankly settle for a half-hour special if it meant resolution to the crazy Season 10 cliffhanger, but Duchovny's pitch for more than six new episodes sounds much better.

The movie business fluctuates to a wild degree. Directors can be replaced, writer after writer after writer can be hired to adjust even the most meager of words, and actors can drop out without hesitation. But while the former positions can usually be chopped and changed without the public knowing too much, the replacement of an actor can have severe repercussions for a movie’s box office potential. In fact, movie fans can often look back on projects now and daydream about what could have been, if only the original casting choices had stayed put.

Which have been the most drastic, though? Well, here are 10 last-minute casting changes that could have severely altered productions, for better and for worse.

Chris Farley, Shrek

Chris Farley was adored by the entire movie community. Unfortunately he succumbed to a drug overdose at the age of 33 in 1997, just when he was on the cusp of becoming a bona-fide star after showcasing his capabilities on the big screen. Because of his rising popularity, he was asked to provide the voice for the character Shrek.

Kevin Farley, Chris’ brother, told Yahoo that his version "was a little bit more like Chris, like a humble, bumbling innocent guy." In the end though, Farley’s death meant that the character’s voice had to be re-recorded by his Saturday Night Live colleague Mike Myers, and the rest is history.

Will Smith, Django Unchained

Even though Jamie Foxx was sublime in Django Unchained, he doesn’t really have the big-screen appeal of Will Smith. In fact, the thought of pairing Smith's name with Quentin Tarantino’s on the same poster is probably enough to make the one-sheet spontaneously combust.

Unfortunately, Will Smith’s big-screen ego ultimately stopped him from agreeing to star Django Unchained., Smith explained his decision to Entertainment Weekly, via the The Guardian, stating: "Django wasn’t the lead, so it was like, I need to be the lead. The other character was the lead! I was like, ‘No, Quentin, please, I need to kill the bad guy!’" What did Smith star in instead? After Earth. The fool.

Ryan Gosling, The Lovely Bones

Ryan Gosling too fat for a role? Surely not! Well, it happened.

Back in 2009, Gosling never felt comfortable playing the lead character in The Lovely Bones, so he arrived on set 60 pounds overweight and with a beard, according to the Hollywood Reporter.

Unfortunately he didn’t discuss this transition with Peter Jackson, who thought otherwise and hired Mark Wahlberg instead. Which left the actor "fat and unemployed." But it did provide him with a sure-fire way to pile on the pounds quickly; whenever you’re thirsty, just drink melted Haagen Daz. Sound both delicious and disgusting.  

Winona Ryder, The Godfather: Part III

Arguably the most famous casting mishap in the history of cinema saw Francis Ford Coppola hire his daughter, Sofia Coppola, to play Mary Corleone in The Godfather: Part III.

But that was never originally Coppola’s intention. According to The Guardian, the director had looked through a plethora of established young actresses for the part, including Julia Roberts and Madonna, and even hired Winona Ryder. Then, unfortunately, the 18-year-old actress suffered nervous exhaustion and pulled out, which led Coppola to hire his namesake... who went on to provide one of the worst performances in mainstream movie history.

Michael Caine and Tina Fey, The Intern

While Nancy Meyers’ The Intern is still just under a month away, it’s hard to get overly excited about yet another Robert De Niro comedy that will poke fun at his age. Unfortunately, Last Vegas, The Big Wedding, and each of the Meet The Parents films have bled that particular heart dry.

Not even the thought of the lovely, if sometimes ever so slightly annoying, Anne Hathaway can redeem this premise. But, if you’ll indulge me for the moment, just imagine the originally touted (via Variety) pairing of Michael Caine and Tina Fey as the two characters in the trailer.

Now you’re interested, right? Michael Caine’s return to comedy (let’s not forget how superb he is in Dirty Rotten Scoundrels and Goldmember), as well as his pairing with the consistently hilarious Tina Fey, would have been a match made in heaven. Now, we’ll just have to watch it in our dreams. Lord knows I’d rather do that than watch De Niro and Hathaway’s version.

Emily Browning, Twilight

Would Twilight have been much better or any different with Emily Browning in place of Kristen Stewart? Probably not. It just would have been interesting to see the career path of the Sucker Punch star had she agreed to the feature.

Since turning down the Bella part, Browning has mainly featured in an array of more independent films. And during an interview about her decision to turn down Twilight with Huffington Post, Browning admitted that she doesn’t harbour any regrets, even though she was author Stephenie Meyer’s first pick.

In fact, Browning explained that if she’d been cast and then had to withstand the barrage of press attention that Kristen Stewart had to put up with, she believes she wouldn’t "be acting anymore." Which, when you consider the amount of people who have seen the likes of Plush, God Help The Girl, Magic Magic, Summer In February, The Host, and Pompeii, is pretty much the case anyway. (Kidding! Sort of.)

Tom Hanks, Jerry Maguire

It really is hard to imagine anyone other than Tom Cruise playing Jerry Maguire. Because Tom Hanks immerses himself in every role that he takes with such energy and grace, though, if he’d taken the part (as originally planned), we’d probably be saying the same about his presence in the film.

Tom Hanks was actually Cameron Crowe’s first choice to play the titular sports agent. But Hanks was too busy making his directorial debut with That Thing You Do! to feature in the lead role. And Hanks is glad it ended up that way, because, according to Contact Music, the actor previously explained, " I think it you look at it now, and it couldn’t have been anybody other than Tom Cruise."

And he’s probably right. Because while Tom Cruise was able to give a real arc to Jerry Maguire's character, making you hate the character at the start before redeeming him, Hanks is just too damn likeable to have effortlessly pulled that off. RIght?

David Duchovny, Batman & Robin

Widely regarded as one of the worst films of all time, Batman & Robin almost sabotaged George Clooney’s cinematic career before it had truly got going. It almost didn't end up that way, though, because after Val Kilmer turned down the chance to return to the series, according to IMDB, David Duchovny was considered to play Bruce Wayne.

But we should be relieved George Clooney starred in Batman & Robin. Because, 18 years after the film’s release, it’s easy to see that Clooney’s mistake of starring in it proved to be a godsend for his career. Soon after his appearance in Joel Schumacher's unmitigated disaster, Clooney made the wise choice to only work with sublime directors, which is why his next four films were Steven Soderbergh’s Out Of Sight, Terrence Malick’s The Thin Red Line, David O’Russell’s Three Kings, and The Coen Brother’s O Brother, Where Art Thou?, each of which are modern masterpieces.

Would he have made the same career choices if Batman & Robin had failed? It probably would have left him at the mercy of the studios, which almost certainly means he would have turned into a drab action hero. Thank God, then, for the Batnipples.

Matt Damon, Avatar

At the time of Avatar’s production, Matt Damon, hot off the success of The Bourne Trilogy and The Departed, was one of the biggest movie stars on the planet. It’s no surprise that James Cameron then sought him out to lead his $237 million sci-fi blockbuster.

But Damon had other plans. And instead, he starred in Green Zone. But rather than this being because of fate or a coin flip, Damon admitted to Cinema Blend back in 2011 that it was because of a scheduling issue. This then forced Cameron to go with the Damon-lite Sam Worthington, whose lack of credits probably allowed Avatar to flourish more than if Damon had starred, as audiences didn’t bring any pre-conceived notions to the film.

Damon is the one who should harbor the biggest regret because he hasn’t really had a major success since. Something that will hopefully change with The Martian in October.

Brad Pitt, Almost Famous

Brad Pitt as Russell Hammond could have severely wrecked the integral dynamic that has helped to make Almost Famous such a cult commodity. With Billy Crudup as the mysterious, alluring, but dickish Russell Hammond, you find yourself undecided about who should be the focal point of Stillwater: him or Jason Lee’s Jeff Bebe. That’s because they were both on an even keel as actors. If Pitt had starred as Hammond, then you instantly would have sided with him. Right?

Fortunately for writer and director Cameron Crowe, who according to Buzz Feed wrote the part with Pitt in mind and even worked alongside the actor for months on it, Pitt ultimately decided that he didn’t "get it enough to do it." Which is all well and good from a critical sense, but as the film bombed at the box office it probably could have actually done with a sprinkle of Brad Pitt gold. Let's put on Elton John's "Tiny Dancer," and think about whta might have been. 

Let’s get real here. It seemed pretty impossible to get us more excited about the upcoming X-Files revival than we already were, as seeing the further adventures of Mulder and Scully are as commonly sought out as food and water. But now that production for the series has begun, stars David Duchovny and Gillian Anderson, along with creator Chris Carter, have us positively rabid for its return, thanks a heavy social media presence. Can an alien get rabid? Maybe we’ll find out.

Join us in this run down of recent tweets between the two Special Agents that made the 1990s conspiratorially exciting. The latest and greatest of these comes from Anderson’s Twitter page, which gets us imagining these two characters back together again on TV for the first time since the 2002 series finale.

You know you’ve made it to cult status when your chair says your character name instead of your real name. I’m already waiting for these to be auctioned off after this new limited series is finished filming.

Not that Duchovny could be beat on that front, as he tweeted a shot of his chair with one of the episode scripts on it. It’s taking everything I have not to try and reach into the screen and try to pull it out. Not that it would work, but weirder things have happened in the X-Files universe.

While there haven’t been any official images or sneak peeks at the show yet, as it just got underway, Duchovny gave the world a look at the Welcome Binder for the stars and possibly the crew. And it should make sci-fi fans pretty happy to see a UFO in the air on there. Not that there was any doubt, but still.

And speaking of UFOs, because why wouldn’t we be speaking of those, creator Chris Carter recently shared an Instagram photo that has us pretty damned excited about the possibility of seeing some spacecraft in the series.

And even though there are a couple of other exchanges between the stars that got us pumped, we’re ending with a pic shared by Anderson, revealing her hair is back to that signature Scully red. My heart may or may not have melted when I saw this. Not that her as a blonde in The Fall and Hannibal was a bummer or anything, but come on!

Having seen all that, we’re STILL not quite sure where this new look at The X-Files is going in its six-episode run, although there might be a follow-up to one of the show’s most revered episodes, “Home.” We’re also looking forward to seeing more characters in action, like Assistant Director Skinner and The Smoking Man and many more. Drop some teasers, Fox!

All we have to do is wait another half-year to see our favorite FBI agents in action, as The X-Files is set to premiere on Sunday, January 24, 2016, with a move to Monday nights in the following weeks. Fingers crossed we get even more X-Files after that.

Everybody wants to be like Netflix, since Netflix can apparently do no wrong when it comes to entertainment. But since not every network can borrow a billion dollars to pump out a seemingly endless supply of high-quality programming, they have to figure out other ways of mimicking the streaming giant. NBC will be heading into similar binge-watching waters when it premieres its upcoming summer drama Aquarius, which will unload its entire episode run on the Internet as its first episode hits the airwaves.

Here’s how the rollout will happen. Aquarius, which serves as David Duchovny’s return to broadcast TV, is debuting on NBC on Thursday, May 28. To coincide with it, the network will also be releasing all of Season 1’s 13 episodes on NBC.com, on the NBC mobile app, and through their VOD service. So if you watch the first episode and absolutely adore it, there will be nothing to stop you from continuing to watch the rest of the season. Unless, of course, you don’t have access to a computer, a mobile device, or NBC’s VOD service.

But there is a slight catch, as the full run will only be available online for the first four weeks of the season. To balance that, though, the producers have actually planned out two minimally distinct cuts of each episode, with the TV version being more suitable for everyday audiences, and the streaming version will be more intense.

Here’s how NBC entertainment chairman Bob Greenblatt put it, according to THR, which makes me think that maybe this could be the first in a line of similar moves by NBC, if not more networks in the future.

This is indeed the first time a broadcast network has done something as arguably revolutionary as this. The embrace of Internet streaming is nothing new, as many channels put their series’ episodes up on their dedicated websites the next day, or make deals with sites like Hulu and Amazon. (CBS’ site usually has their episodes up on the same night that they air.) But giving audiences complete access to something that hasn’t aired yet is indeed a new and interesting tactic. Plus, NBC will probably be willing to flaunt what kind of ratings they bring in on the streaming side, unlike the numbers-hiding Netflix.

Of course, it makes sense that this isn’t normal behavior for networks, as production schedules usually don’t allow for an entire season to be filmed before it airs, so many shows wouldn’t even be able to air things ahead of time. But that doesn’t mean series like Arrow and The Flash couldn’t stream small sets of early episodes to bring in potential viewers for later arcs.

In any case, check out the first preview to Aquarius below to see if you’ll be interested in watching Duchovny chase down Charles Manson.

Aquarius will air its two-hour series premiere on Thursday, May 28, at 9 p.m. ET. How will you be watching?

After seven years of Hank Moody on Showtime’s Californication, David Duchovny doesn’t seem intent on getting roped into more long-term projects any time soon. His future will reteam him with Gillian Anderson for Fox’s X-Files revival and have him chasing Charles Manson for NBC’s Aquarius, and he thinks that it’s precisely these shortened forms of storytelling that will be the future of television. The truth is out there…in Duchovny’s head.

Speaking with Variety, Duchovny shared that it was precisely the compact nature of Chris Carter’s new X-Files story that got him interested again. Here are his thoughts on how to ensure TV’s impact for years to come.

Not that Duchovny is the first person to have this idea or anything. TV has been shifting more towards shortened TV seasons for a few years now, as broadcast networks are adapting more to both the cable programming model and that of international networks, such as the U.K.’s usual 6-8 episodes in a season. (Didn’t work for Gracepoint though.) These shortened production schedules definitely aid in drawing to TV bigger names that don’t necessarily have time for hiatus-friendly traditional seasons.

But as someone who went from 20+-episode TV seasons to 12-episode TV seasons while keeping a feature film career steady, he’s got an insider opinion on the issue. Aquarius is currently set as a 13-episode event series, which may or may not lead to multiple seasons, and The X-Files is coming back for what seems like a standalone six-episode season, though I’m sure massive ratings would provoke everyone to come back for more.

I think everyone could do with more Fox Mulder and Dana Scully in the modern era, so here’s hoping whatever Carter is cooking up is worth the wait. At this point, even Duchovny isn’t quite sure what the show’s format will be like, though he assumes that there will be standalone episodes that work within an overall arc. As well, he said the show’s tone will probably refrain from going “weirder and darker” than Gillian Anderson’s other show, Hannibal. So I guess nothing like “Home” again.

I’m all for shortened seasons and the recent embrace of anthology series, both for star power and for story power. Hopefully it won’t be long before we’re seeing a bigger chunk of Hollywood’s elite heading to the small screen. Or to Netflix, more likely, where Anderson’s stellar drama The Fall can be seen.

Fans of The X-Files undoubtedly went berserk earlier this week when Fox announced the conspiratorial sci-fi TV series featuring everybody's favorite F.B.I. duo Dana Scully (Gillian Anderson) and Fox Mulder (David Duchovny) would officially be returning for another run. That said, Duchovny recently weighed in on his character's skills as an investigator, and it turns out he doesn't have as high of an opinion of Mulder's skillset as one may have thought.

In a recent interview Q&A with The New York Times, David Duchovny discussed his iconic character Fox Mulder and his ability to crack cases during the series' almost decade long run. While the show racked up over a dozen Emmys and almost half as many Golden Globes, the actor made it clear his character wasn't exactly as skilled as, say, the folks behind the show's success. Here's what he had to say about Mulder's skills as an F.B.I. agent:

It's pretty hilarious when you think about it, with the series lasting nine seasons, that he can't claim success with even a single case. However, it's exactly that dynamic that kept fans glued to the screen for over 200 episodes. Duchovny took things one level deeper, when pressed in the interview about if he thinks he'll solve any cases this time around, saying he doesn't know but that he hopes not as “that would really change the show.”

It was only a couple of months ago that we learned Fox was seriously considering bringing back the Vancouver-shot series after their confirming they had been in some very positive discussions with the show's creator Chris Carter. The only real concern at that point was finding the mutual time in Carter, Duchovny and Anderson's schedules. With the latest developments (earlier this week) solidifying all three are now onboard, it's clear they were able to work things out.

It has been over thirteen years since The X-Files series came to an end back in 2002. The science fiction drama series not only proved back in those days that there was a real demand for this type of material on television, it also showed that genre material could become a major network hit—ranking for a period of time as Fox's highest rated show. The X-Files even brought its iconic F.B.I. agents to the big screen in two feature films; 1998's The X-Files (which brought in almost $190 million worldwide) and 2008's The X-Files: I Want to Believe.

The series reboot of The X-Files, which will deliver six episodes, is set to return to Vancouver for shooting this summer. Let's hope that means we'll see the series run by next fall. Get caught up with the series before it disappears from Netflix on April 1.

When it comes to revivals of hugely popular genre shows, few people are in fan demand quite as much as former Californication star David Duchovny. The actor has been in all kinds of headlines concerning his possible return to the X-Files universe, but some of us are a little more interested in hearing about whether or not his transgender DEA agent would be coming back for Showtime’s upcoming Twin Peaks revival. The verdict? He damn sure wants to.

Speaking with the L.A. Times about his upcoming debut novel Holy Cow, Duchovny was asked about the returns of the two hit series.

Granted, I seriously doubt that Duchovny would go on record saying he wasn’t going to have anything to do with Twin Peaks, or that fan favorite Agent Denise Bryson wasn’t coming back. But it’s always encouraging to know that he wants back in. Considering barely anyone beyond David Lynch and Mark Frost knows what’s happening with the new Twin Peaks series, it’s not an impossibility, or even an improbability, for Bryson to return. If Disney taught us that it’s a small world, Lynch and Frost taught us that it’s a weird one, where people talk backward in otherworlds. They can bring back whatever characters they want, and hopefully Duchovny’s interest helps that along.

Bryson came into Dale Cooper’s world when Cooper was under fire from the FBI under false pretenses, and her return to Showtime’s limited series would find company in a growing list of transgender characters across television. Not a very widely investigated topic on TV in the early 1990s, but that’s all changed now, thanks to excellent series like Transparent and Orange is the New Black, among others. Oddly enough, people holding logs still hasn’t been tapped as a source for creative storytelling

Duchovny, who jokingly called his possible TV takeover “the Eagles’ greatest hits tour…by me,” will be starring in NBC’s Aquarius, which takes place during Charles Manson’s reign of terror prior to his incarceration. An X-Files limited series would take another sizeable chunk out of his schedule. But Twin Peaks isn’t happening until next year, and Bryson’s return probably wouldn’t be a very involved one, so let’s do our best to get Duchovny back on every network, everyone.

At this point, we know that Kyle MacLachlan will be returning to play Agent Cooper, along with Sheryl Lee as Laura and/or Maddy, Dana Ashbrook as Bobby, and Catherine E. Coulson as the Log Lady Margaret. An upcoming book will clue audiences in on what’s been going on with these characters in the 25 years since we’ll have last seen them. It’s going to be a “1,500 cups of coffee” kind of wait.

The truth has been out there for a long time now. In this particular case, the “truth” is that David Duchovny wants to return to the conspiracy-driven world of The X-Files whenever possible. While it used to be all movie-focused, the recent news about Fox’s plans to revive the series with creator Chris Carter, combined with the success of limited TV series, means Duchovny is totally into returning to the suit-and-tie duds of Fox Mulder on the small screen. For a little while, anyway.

Duchovny spoke with USA Today about his interest in getting Mulder back in front of TV audiences again, and he said he is “more than happy” to be a part of the show returning with Carter and co-star Gillian Anderson. In his words:

Duchovny jokes there, but the 54-year-old only last year finished his run as Californication’s Hank Moody, a character who lived like he was half his age most of the time. I guess there’s something about having aliens popping in and about that just makes one feel older. His assurances do goes a long way here, compared to how far his positivity for the implausible third feature went, especially considering Fox wanted him and Anderson back. Three cheers for more Mulder! (Morelder?)

Carter is in early talks with Fox (not Mulder) on getting the ball rolling, so it’s unclear when negotiations will be made or when a script will surface. There’s no doubt Carter has a UFO-shaped filing cabinet awkwardly filled with notes on where he’d have liked to take Mulder and Scully’s stories if he got the chance. Pulling in ideas and creating new ones will certainly take some time, and both Duchovny and Anderson have other impending gigs that presumably won’t allow for much, if any, production crossover.

We’ll get to see David Duchovny as another kind of law enforcement on NBC’s series Aquarius, in which he plays a 1960s L.A. cop who’s got his eye on Charles Manson during the time leading up to the Tate-LaBianca murders. That’ll be filming 13 episodes later this year at some point. Gillian Anderson is currently in production on Season 3 of NBC’s Hannibal. Obviously NBC has been secretly against Fox getting an X-Files revival for some time now! I think every other network was in on it, too! And those bees from the first movie, too!

Here’s hoping Fox gives this X-Files comeback at least as many episodes as 24: Live Another Day, which had twelve. And if it gets some kind of an extended life like 24 may, I’m all for that, too.

It’s almost official. After speculation, and teasing from Mulder and Scully themselves, Fox has finally announced that they are in talks with series creator Chris Carter to revive the supernatural, super-successful cult-classic, The X-Files. [insert fan-girl squeal here]

Apparently, after the success of the 24 limited series, Fox decided it would probably be a good idea to bring back another iconic classic. Really though? They needed that as an excuse. We’re sure the recent renewal of a certain other 90s cult drama played a role in the sudden spark. Regardless of motive, this couldn’t be more exciting news. Today, Fox TV Group Chairmen and CEOs Gary Newman and Dana Walden confirmed the chatter between the network and Chris Carter, saying they were hopeful about the outcome. And along with the revival, Fox also revealed that they hoped to have David Duchovny and Gillian Anderson reprise their beloved roles of Mulder and Scully. Newman told Entertainment Weekly:

Both Walden and Newman ran 20th Century Fox Television prior to adding Fox broadcast last year, so they were there through the entire run of The X-Files. Walden continued:

But, Carter may not have as much on his plate right now since Amazon just a couple weeks ago canceled his show, The After. It is still unclear why Amazon abruptly decided not to move forward with the series with only a pilot produced, but Carter may be at a pivotal moment where he will highly consider revisiting his older masterpiece.

We already know that the stars of the show are ready and waiting for that call to come back to their iconic characters. Last summer, David Duchovny touched upon the show and his consistent friendship with Chris Carter and Gillian Anderson. When asked if Duchovny wanted to make a sequel to the 2008 X-Files movie, he answered, “I would always want to do it.”

Gillian Anderson’s desire to bring her scientific sceptic back to the screen is no different. And Anderson may have helped in lighting a fire under the Fox executives. The other day the actress was on The Nerdist podcast saying she would be “f***ing overjoyed” to reprise her role. So much so that she basically started a campaign to get a reboot going, telling fans to voice their support by tweeting #X-Files2015 and targeting Fox's Twitter @FoxTV.

A series like The X-Files never truly dies out, even when the show ends. But as we saw it spawn a movie franchise and endless fan campaigns begging for its return, Fox will undoubtedly be trying extra hard to get something this big into production. It will really all come down to the scheduling of the successful actors, because there is no show without Mulder and Scully.

Just a couple of days ago, Twin Peaks co-creators David Lynch and Mark Frost revealed they would be returning to the Washington town to film 10 brand new episodes. Details on the new episodes of the cult series are being kept under wraps right now, but we do know that Frost and Lynch will write the limited event series, which will be set 25 years after the events that occurred in ABC’s primetime drama in the early nineties. With subscription cable comes a whole new opportunity to get weird, but we’re hopeful that Twin Peaks will nod at its past as it moves forward into its future.

We’ve compiled a list of the Twin Peaks characters we hope will pop up in the new series. There’s been no official casting for the drama so far, but plenty of actors from the original series are still around, and some have already expressed interest. Since the show suffered from a cancellation despite featuring a few cliffhangers, it would be great to catch up with many of the residents of Twin Peaks. Just assume if your favorite character didn’t make this list, the character or actor playing that character might have died. Alternatively, perhaps we just found that character to be extremely annoying or unlikeable, or even boring or too batshit crazy. Find out who made the cut, and who we’d like to see pop up when Twin Peaks hits Showtime in 2016.

Dale Cooper (Kyle MacLachlan)

Dale Cooper is arguably the most important character in the Twin Peaks canon. Despite the fact that Twin Peaks eventually was able to wrap things up a bit with the movie Fire Walk With Me, Cooper is arguably the character with the least resolved storyline on the series, as the “good Dale” was still left in the black lodge the last time we left Twin Peaks, Washington.

I have no idea how David Lynch or Mark Frost would use the character in the new season, but it’s clear that MacLachlan is game to return. The man’s always working or pursuing his off beat interests, but he hasn’t had a huge role since Believe was canceled, so a return to Twin Peaks would likely be a welcome change of pace. Additionally, he’s already hinted about his return via Twitter.

I’d say he’ll be having some damn fine coffee in 2016.

Lucy Moran (Kimmy Robertson)

Lucy Moran is one of the most memorable TV characters of all time. From her high-pitched voice to her penchant for stacking donuts neatly, she was the perfect side character in Twin Peaks, bringing some much-needed comedy to some of the show’s weirdest scenes. When last we left Lucy, she seemed to be one of the rare characters living in Twin Peaks who seemed genuinely happy, having decided to stick it out with Andy.

An update on her life might include a slew of kids, and hopefully a happy homestead with Andy. But more importantly, I think we’d all like to see her sitting behind the desk at the Sheriff’s office, taking notes and alerting members of the department whenever they have a phone call. Is that too much to ask, Showtime?

Audrey Horne (Sherilyn Fenn)

Audrey Horne started out as one of the most interesting characters on Twin Peaks. She was a young lady with plenty of daddy issues who loved to spend time flirting with Dale Cooper. After reported onset problems between Fenn and Laura Flynn Boyle nipped the romance between Audrey and Dale in the bud, Ms. Horne was relegated to some weird secondary plots, which included tying herself to a bank vault at the end of Season 2 in an act of civil disobedience. A bomb goes off, and the audience doesn’t know whether or not Ms. Horne lived or died.

If she did live, she’d now be a woman in her forties. She could be a strong businesswoman running the Horne empire. She could just as easily be a cat lady or a crazy person. Whether she’s a lead character or is just mentioned in one scene, I think we can all agree we would love to know exactly what happened to Audrey Horne.

Ben Horne (Richard Beymer)

Criminal and entrepreneur Ben Horne had a hard row to hoe during Twin Peaks. He was under scrutiny for the murder of Laura Palmer, he lost his brothel, he went crazy for a short while, and then he was possibly beaten to death by Doc Hayward after an affair came to light. He’s another character whose fate was left to ambiguity and who we would love to see in the new episodes, should he have survived.

Richard Beymer is quite old, now, and hasn’t acted in anything on TV or movies since 2008. However, the actor has always had a soft spot for Twin Peaks, and his photographs related to the series were part of the show’s definitive DVD release, which came out in 2007. Maybe Horne was killed in the original series, and maybe he’s an old man married to the Lana Budding of today.

Denise Bryson (David Duchovny)

In the early nineties, Twin Peaks helped to put David Duchovny on the map. In the show, the actor played Denise Bryson, an acquaintance of Dale Cooper who ends up being an integral part of the team investigating the murder of Laura Palmer. Denise used to go by Dennis, and throughout the series is mostly seen wearing female clothing, although is willing to switch identities for undercover operations.

While Duchovny is signed on for the event series Aquarius, he’s also a big fan of Showtime, where Twin Peaks just found a new home. The man spent years working with the network on Californication and it would be a natural fit to see him pop up on Twin Peaks, too. As one of the highest profile actors on this list at this point in time, we’ll have to wait and see whether this dream pans out.

Big Ed Hurley (Everett McGill) and Norma Jennings (Peggy Lipton)

While I don’t think it would be wise to keep the crazy Ed, Norma and Nadine love triangle in motion, and I especially don’t think it would be wise to revisit any of the antics that occurred when Nadine thought she was a teenager and began seeing Mike, I would like an update on Big Ed and Norma.

Did Ed and Norma end up together? Did the two have children who will now be the leads in Twin Peaks? Did they finally find their relationship too painful and go their separate ways? Did Ed finally lose patience and dispose of Nadine? Are they happy or are they unhappy? I’d like to think they didn’t let the worst of Twin Peaks get the best of them, but half the fun in having their characters return would be to find out.

Sheriff Harry S. Truman (Michael Ontkean)

Sheriff Harry S. Truman was the glue that kept Twin Peaks sane. He was loyal when Cooper disappeared into the Black Lodge and even when strange things happened in the town, he kept his hometown perspective. Ontkean might be too old to still be acting as the town’s Sheriff, but he could be good for a cameo, depending on how Lynch and Frost put together the new storyline.

I don’t know if the new Twin Peaks will utilize Michael Ontkean, at all. However, I do know that the new show will be able to use another earnest lawkeeper. If there’s one thing that we know about Twin Peaks, Washington, it’s that the town is rife with both criminals and supernatural evil. The show can use as many forces of good as it can get.

The Log Lady (Catherine E. Coulson)

Catherine E. Coulson is a David Lynch regular, and she’s still acting to boot. Her character in Twin Peaks, log lady Margaret Lanterman, would be one of the easiest characters to insert into Showtime’s brand new, limited event series, and I hope both Coulson and Lynch are game to make it happen.

During the original series, the character popped up with her mysterious log, translating the information it chose to convey. The Log Lady was very strange, and even filmed a whole set of oddball intros for the when it was syndicated later on. We certainly want to see more of the character.

Lawrence Jacoby (Russ Tamblyn)

This one’s a bit more of a toss-up. Jacoby played Laura Palmer’s psychiatrist on Twin Peaks. The show featured his slew of eccentric behaviors and spotlighted his wild wardrobe. He was briefly considered a suspect in the murder of Laura Palmer, as well.

As one of the most colorful characters on Twins Peaks, we’d love to see Dr. Jacoby return, especially since Tamblyn is still acting. However, if he’s busy, we’d be totally fine with Lynch signing on the actor’s daughter, Amber Tamblyn, to play an equally kooky character. Anything to give her a break from Two and a Half Men, amiright?

Gordon Cole (David Lynch)

Of course, this list wouldn’t be complete without Gordon Cole. In ABC’s original series, Lynch himself played Cole, an extremely hard-of-hearing FBI chief working in the Twin Peaks region. Gordon’s an enlightened and lively character who provides some comedy due to the fact he doesn’t hear so well. He also appears in Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me.

Since Lynch is involved in the new Twin Peaks, I can’t imagine why he wouldn’t find a way to insert himself into the series, once more. By now, the character might be fully deaf. Or maybe he’s found the perfect partner who he can hear perfectly. Either way, I figure he’s still finding ways to crush cases for the FBI.

Frost recently said there is much more the two co-creators “want to know” about Twin Peaks, Washington, and I’d imagine that involves revisiting some old characters, as well. Who would you like to see on Showtime’s series in 2016?

While the first X-Files movie - release during the height of the series' popularity in 1998 - was a box office hit, the same can't be said its a sequel. Released in 2008, a full decade after the first one, The X-Files: I Want To Believe cost only $35 million to make, but wound up only making $20.9 here and $47 million abroad. These numbers didn't exactly tell the studio that audiences were clamoring for more stories featuring FBI Agents Mulder and Scully, so the idea of a third movie has long been considered an unlikely possibility. All that out there, David Duchovny still isn't giving up hope that there is a future for the X-Files.

With Duchovny's long-running showtime series Californiacatation coming to an end this weekend, Rolling Stone recently sat down to talk with the actor, and during the course of the interview the X-Files star admitted that he still hasn't quite put Fox Mulder behind him. Asked if he would be game for a third film in the franchise, Duchovny said,

What makes this case interesting is that many star TV actors from the '90s have spent their entire careers running away from the characters they played, hoping to avoid being typecast and only being recognized for one thing despite their personally known versatility. Duchovny admits that there was a time when he was part of this crowd, but the work he has done since the X-Files ended has allowed him to feel differently about the potential to revisit the character that gave him his big break. "Once I was able to branch out and do some other movies and do Californication, I didn't feel like, 'People only think I do that,'" the actor said. "I no longer have that anxiety."

Duchovny is arguably still most recognized for his role on the X-Files, which was one of the biggest pop culture hits of the 90s, but he has certainly kept busy on both the big screen and small. Likewise, co-star Gillian Anderson, who played Mulder's partner Dana Scully, has had the same level of success, most recently appearing in a number of episodes of Hannibal (the series finale suggesting an even bigger role for her in the show's third season).

In addition to doing poorly with audiences, X-Files: I Want To Believe was also largely trashed by critics, which opens the debate: is a third X-Files movie something that people really want. I expect a lot of you are pretty split on this idea, so let us know what you think in the comments section below.

Now that NBC has figured out TV horror sells – its drama Hannibal is one of the network's most buzzed about series – they will step away from the world of literary villains to focus on one of America’s most controversial personalities: Charles Manson. NBC has ordered 13 straight-to-series episodes of the dark drama Aquarius, which will be led by X-Files star David Duchovny in his first broadcast television role since he guest-starred on Live with Bonnie in 2002. I want to believe this show is going to be great.

Aquarius will be set in Los Angeles in the late 1960s, and Duchovny will play a police sergeant whose personal life is more troublesome than his job, at least it was until he sets his sights on Manson, who at that point was just released from prison and starting to build his Family of easily swayed hippies. I’m not saying NBC is confident that viewers are going to follow this series like a cult, but check out what the press release says about the Manson Family’s most notorious crimes.

I have to admit, it’s a ballsy movie to declare from the get-go such firm intentions of holding off on the real-world climax, which just might entice viewers into sticking around. Or it might just turn them off altogether. It all depends on the pacing and how tight the scripts are. It was less than a year-and-a-half between Manson’s release and the Tate-LaBianca case, so the story would need to be padded a little to stretch to three years, which is the minimum of what “subsequent seasons” implies. I’m all for seeing NBC succeed in pulling off the cult drama that Fox’s The Following could have been.

Aquarius is being created by John McNamara (In Plain Sight), who will be executive producing with Duchovny, Marty Adelstein (Prison Break) and Melanie Greene (Californication). Though McNamara-created shows have been short-lived and mostly forgotten, as with Eyes and Fastlane, he has been an EP and consulting producer for series like Jericho and Prime Suspect. (Not that those lasted long either.)

In any case, it’ll be nice to see Duchovny getting back into high-stakes drama, since it’ll still be a few more years before desperate heads prevail and we get that third X-Files movie. After seeing him play the womanizing cheeseball Hank Moody for the past six years on Showtime’s Californication, audiences (i.e. me) need to see him take on different material. Speaking of, Californication is headed into its seventh season on April 13, as teased in the promo below.

On the film side of things, Duchovny was in the recently released submarine thriller Phantom with Ed Harris, and also stars in the upcoming inspirational drama Louder Than Words.

It’s an interesting move for NBC to dive into the straight-to-season format with such a sensational slice of history, but at least they’re guaranteeing Duchovny more work in the near future. Now let’s discuss who they can possibly find to play Charles Manson.

Sometimes there are celebrity rumors that seem so good they might just have to be fan fiction, and then sometimes there's a celebrity rumor that really has been fan fiction, and for decades. So we're not even sure how to process the rumor going around that Gillian Anderson and David Duchovny-- a.k.a. Scully and Mulder from the 90s sci-fi series The X-Files-- have started quietly living together, and "have been in a serious relationship for some time now." Yes, Mulder and Scully finally got together, and in real life. You may hold for applause.

The news surfaced at the relatively anonymous site Celebrity Dirty Laundry, so it's hard to know how much truth there is behind it-- it seems entirely possible the source is a major X-Files fan who wanted to see their dream come true. But Anderson and her boyfriend of six years, Mark Griffiths, recently announced they had split, and Duchovny and his wife Tea Leoni separated yet again last year, several years after they split when Duchovny went to rehab for sex addiction. So if Anderson and Duchovny ever are going to get together in real life, the timing is surely right.

Even if you never watched The X-Files back in the day, it was impossible to escape all the speculation about whether Mulder and Scully would ever get together, along with the hopes that Anderson and Duchovny would make it happen in real life. If you need a refresher on the fervent X-Files fan fiction that put the two of them together, here's a decent place to start. And again, none of this is official right now, and its entirely possible neither of them will ever confirm anything. But if Mulder and Scully are photographed out on the town together sometime soon, we will have reason to believe fan fiction has finally come true.

(Image via Featureflash / Shutterstock.com)

I often find myself torn between loving and loathing Hank Moody. I suppose that’s the biggest draw for Californication as much as it is for the lead character. Moody is a flawed man but not without a sense of right and wrong or the ability to love. In Season 4, we see him facing the consequences of some of his actions as he attempts to get his life on track… again.

(Minor spoiler warning: This review contains vague information about the plot and characters in the fourth season of Californication.)

To catch you up before we proceed, Californication follows Hank Moody (David Duchovny), a philandering writer in California with an on-again-off-again relationship with Karen (Natascha McElhone). They have a teenage daughter Becca (Madeleine Martin) who’s as aware of her father’s flaws as Karen is, though usually somewhat more forgiving. Hank’s best friend is his agent, Charlie Runkle (Evan Handler). Charlie’s got somewhat of a checkered past when it comes to sexual relationships and is in the final throws of divorce with his wife Marcy (Pamela Adlon). And finally, there’s Mia Cross (Madeline Zima), a girl who semi-seduced Hank when she was sixteen and then claimed credit for the book he wrote about the incident.

Up until the end of last season, Hank had been able to keep the accidental statutory rape incident with Mia from Karen, Becca (who is friends with Mia), the law and the general public and we’ve always wondered what would happen if everyone were to find out. How would Karen and Becca handle it? What kind of legal ramifications would there be? How would it affect Hank’s career? All of these questions are about to be answered as the proverbial cat is out of the bag.

In Season 4, Hank attempts to gain forgiveness from Karen and Becca and he also has to face the legal consequences, not only for assaulting an officer at the end of last season but for what went on with Mia. Enter Carla Gugino, who plays Abby, Hank’s sexy and confident attorney. While Abby and Hank dance around their obvious and immediate attraction toward one another, she works to clear his name (legally, anyway).

Hank’s back behind the wheel of his book now that everyone knows he wrote it and he’s put to the task of writing the script for the movie. The struggle to get the movie made presents a whole new set of challenges and characters. Introduced to the story is Sasha Bingham (Addison Timlin), the Hollywood starlet cast to play Mia. Rob Lowe plays Eddie Nero, an actor who might play Hank in the movie. Nero’s a scruffier, more crass version of Hank, with a side of crazy. That might be hard to picture but Lowe commits to the role perfectly. He’s barely recognizable behind his shrub-like goatee and insane enthusiasm for his craft. Stephen Tobolowsky plays Stu Beggs, the producer on the movie. He takes an interest in Marcy but she has her own issues to deal with this season. And since we’re on the subject, it needs to be said that Pamela Adlon is funnier than ever in Season 4.

Also among the guest appearances are Zoe Kravitz (who plays the lead singer of the band Becca joins) and Michael Ealy (playing her father.) Later on in the season, you’ll see Tommy Lee and Rescue Me’s Callie Thorne.

What I love about Californication is that I often have a hard time knowing how to feel about Hank Moody. On one hand, he’s the anti-hero. Far from perfect and often the victim of his own crimes, there’s a part of me that wants to see him get what he has coming to him, especially when his actions hurt Becca and Karen. And on the other hand, we see his constant desire to claim the happily-ever-after future he wants to have with Becca and Karen, if only he could stop putting himself in such compromising situations. It’s easy to identify with Karen and Becca in the way they see Hank. They love him for all of the reasons we do. He’s carefree, talented, intelligent and irresistibly charming and despite all of the screw-ups and screwing-around, they still want him in their lives. But neither are pushovers, easily willing to look past Hank’s indiscretions and that’s what makes them such great characters. They’re Hank’s challenge as well as his reward.

Some series start to show their age around Season 4 but Californication certainly isn’t one of them. Californication has always stood out as a show that embraces the balance between humor and drama, never quite veering all the way into one territory or the other and that holds true in Season 4. The quality of the writing is as fresh and clever as ever, as is the acting. What’s more, the story moves forward without drifting into completely unfamiliar territory. If you’re hoping this will be another great season of Californication, I suspect you’ll be pleased with what Showtime has in store for you here.

I don’t know if Hank will ever fully redeem himself or if he’s capable of growing up and settling down to be the kind of husband to Karen and father to Becca that both deserve but I guess that’s part of what works so well for this series. The fun of Californication lies as much in watching Hank try to get his life together as it does in seeing him let it all fall apart when temptation proves to be too great to resist.

Californication Season 4 premieres Sunday, January 9, 2011 at 9:00 p.m. on Showtime.

CLICK HERE for clips and photos from the season premiere.

I'm still not sure what to think of Zoe Kravitz guest-starring on Californication for six episodes. as Entertainment Weekly reported. Yes, her role is in association with Becca, Hank's daughter, but that doesn't mean Hank won't have access to her. And we all know what Hank does when he has access to a pretty girl.

I don't know if it's because she's the daughter of Lenny Kravitz and Lisa Bonet, or because she's 21. The age shouldn't really be an issue, because Hef scores chicks younger than that. I guess it's because I've watched her parents since they were her age, and younger. As such, it's harder to imagine her old enough to be stripping it all off for the popular Showtime series -- and I don't even know that she'll be doing that.

Maybe it's because Duchovny is older than both Lenny Kravitz and Bonet. It would be even weirder if he knew either of the parents. "Hey, yeah. I did this sex scene with your daughter earlier today. Great cans on that one. Nice job, guys."

Okay, probably her role will have nothing to do with Hank's out-of-control sex life, or at least we can hope. Instead, she'll add some musical legacy (at least unofficially) to Becca's all-girl band. Who knew the daughter of Lenny Kravitz had musical talent ... or at least could act like she does. Oh, and the character's name? Big stretch here. Like Tony Danza, Zoe is stretching to tackle a character named -- Zoe. Try to remember it, sweetheart. It makes the filming go much smoother.

X-Files 3 is sort of like the long rumored Arrested Development movie. That is if Arrested Development was a horrible franchise nobody’s cared about since 1998. But in much the same way that every now and then an Arrested Development cast member pops up and trumpets a movie that’s probably never going to happen, every now and then someone involved in X-Files tries to talk up yet another sequel. Luckily, I’m pretty sure it’s just talk.

The latest comes from The Daily Beast where they got David Duchovny talking about X-Files 3. Talking about Fox Mulder’s potential future he says, “As far as the X-Files movie I’d like to do next, if we get a chance to do it, would be a return to the heart and soul of the mythology, which is the alien-oriented conspiracy. I think it’s natural for The X-Files to have another movie in 2012, so we’ll see if we get to do it.”

I’m pretty sure that when it comes to getting to do it, he won’t. X-Files: I Want To Believe was widely panned and barely seen. Who’d back another one? Duchovny, though, isn’t taking his cues from Sam Raimi, who recently admitted that the villains in Spider-Man 3 sucked. Nope, he’s still defending this willful turd. He insists, “I was happy with it… I have nothing but respect for [X-Files creator] Chris Carter and the writing staff.” I think that makes him, literally, the only remaining X-Files fan.

Duchovny, you don’t need this shit. You’re in a cable show with lots of naked women. You get paid and all you have to so is stay out of the way while some guy films their breasts. You’re living the good life my man, stay out of the X-Files quagmire and enjoy it.

While Blend Games is usually able to smell free games with bloodhound-like precision, this one slipped by us. As of last Monday, Midway has been offering their 2005 first-person shooter Area 51 for free. Completely free? Well, minus a small annoyance.

The game won't cost you anything to download but you will have to put up with advertisements when you start it up. The giveaway is sponsored by the US Air Force. No, they're not using the game to track you down, throw you in a burlap sack and mail you to Afghanny-stan - though I'm sure years of first-person shooters have given you great combat skills and exercise habits.

It's not an amazing game but it is pretty decent. Players control a special forces trooper (voiced by David Duchovny) who must lead a team into Area 51, the secret military base, and stop the spread of a deadly virus that turns humans into mutants. Marilyn Manson did some voicework for the game, too, which must've made the hearts of parent groups flutter. A violent first-person shooter with Marilyn Manson? The outraged press release practically types itself!

Anyway, yeah, it's decent and it's free. You've downloaded worse stuff.