Get Your 'X-Files' Movie Scoop Here

Greetings from gorgeous Hope Town on Abaco Island in the Bahamas, my friends. I'm still hanging with the cast and crew of Scrubs down here and, yes, I swear on, you know, something really important, that I will have photos and info for you shortly. But in the meantime, we've got a little X-Files movie scoop for you. My girl Marisa Roffman is back in Hollywood, where she hit the L.A. Film Fest this weekend -- famous fan Juliet Landau (aka Dru on Buffy and Angel) was there too! -- for a sneak peak at what to expect, and as the series' biggest fan, her report is pretty dang thorough. Read on for the details...

Marisa: This show made me the TV fan I am today, so I was more than happy to hit this panel event with star David Duchovny and executive producers Chris Carter and Frank Spotnitz. Despite the movie's release date falling on the Friday of Comic-Con, the panel didn't seem optimistic about an X-Files appearance in San Diego (boo!), which made this night even more important. Despite the theater being woefully underprepared for the massive amount of excited viewers that came out, the weather being blazing hot, and David, Chris and Frank continuing their tight-lipped approach to talking about the plot of the film, X-Philes were treated to quite an interesting evening during which we learned the following:

What sort of movie can we expect?: I don't hold any secrets, but from the teaser scene screened, it looks like the film goes back to some of the scarier episodes of the series. David said that before people fell in love with the characters of Mulder and Scully, people originally loved it because of its thriller aspect. This film will "get back to the roots" of the series. The panel also said that it is a dark movie, but because of the darkness, there is light.

On the secrecy of this film: David said that he had a hard time convincing Chris to give him a copy of the script. With the first movie, Chris was frustrated because they printed the script on red pages so it couldn't be photocopied, yet spoilers still got out in the National Enquirer. So this time, only the heads of each key department were allowed to read the entire script and they were only able to do it while they were in a certain room (that had a video camera) so they couldn't take notes, couldn't take pictures and couldn't make any calls. One scene was so top secret that even Frank (a co-writer of the film) didn't know what was going on when everyone went to shoot it. Chris (who directed the movie) had to tell everyone what was going on as they shot it. He said there was always a general idea that everyone was given, but only he knew the specific details. David said there are very few movies you can go into where you don't know everything, so he respects Chris' attempt to keep the plot a secret for as long as humanly possible.

Why non-fans should go see the movie: According to Frank, "It works on two levels: popcorn and scary stuff, but it has ideas." David called it a "classic thriller, a helluva good film." They said they want to honor the past, but they're also doing something new that can stand apart from the series.

Where do Mulder and Scully stand?: While everyone has been mum over the status of their relationship in the movie (you'll remember that when we last saw them they were on the run, in a motel room, after Mulder was sentenced to death for "killing" someone), from the clips shown, it seems like Mulder and Scully are back in the good graces of the FBI since our dynamic duo is assisting them with a case in the movie. However, according to the clip I saw, Scully isn't so happy that they're back investigating an X-Files-ishy case. While they're out in the field with dozens of agents looking for the victim, Mulder and Scully have a private disagreement. She tells him he needs to stop searching for his sister (the audience went "ooooh" over that line), to which he retorts that he already knows that Samantha is dead, but Scully says that despite that, he is still trying to save her. When Mulder ignores the agent (played by Xzibit) who calls off the search, Scully asks Mulder what he's doing and he pointedly says, "I'm trying to ignore you." Um, ouch. That isn't the Mulder we knew when the show ended, but then again, six years have passed, both in real life, and in the lives of these characters. "Mulder changed over the nine years of the show and again over the six years [since the series finale]," David said. But the million dollar question is will Mulder/Scully-shippers be happy with the outcome of the movie? Chris, Frank and David were hesitant to say, but finally David and Frank admitted that those invested in the relationship will be happy with the film. "We had pretty deep convictions about where they would be in their lives and what the nature of their relationship would be," Frank said.

What about baby William?: "William is referenced," said Chris. "We have not forgotten him. They have not forgotten him. This is a movie that, as we've said, is not a mythology movie, so it doesn't depend on his absence or existence. It is a story that takes place apart from him. That's not to say that we've forsaken him."

Mulder is a "quest hero": David referred to the character he's been playing off-and-on since 1993 as a quest hero, which he felt made him a worthy character to come back to in terms of the new movie. According to him, Mulder's always going to be looking for some sort of truth. And the title of the movie comes into play with Mulder's beliefs because as Chris said, "[the movie title] sums up the nature of Mulder's quest which is that he struggles with his faith and the things unseen and the unknown and the mysterious. So it's not that he takes things just on faith. He actually struggles with that faith."

There will be some inside jokes: There will be references to things like 1013 and other little easter eggs that hardcore fans can appreciate. 

Will Mulder and Scully's technology have advanced?: People who've watched the show know that Mulder and Scully, while advanced technologically for their time, pretty much carried around bricks as cell phones and their computers, flashlights and other such equipments wasn't much better. Well, Chris hinted that Scully's tools have been upgraded, but that Mulder wouldn't fare as well. Wonder what that's about...

Will there be another movie?: That depends on you, the fans. Everyone seems willing to reunite for another movie (possibly on the looming 2012 doomsday date we found out about in the series finale, when the ultimate alien invasion is set to occur), but it all depends on how much this film makes at the box office. Say they don't get to make another movie, Frank offered this about the way the characters of Mulder and Scully are left: "I felt like at the end of this movie, if this were the last time we saw Mulder and Scully, I'd be very proud to leave it at that moment. I hope it's not, but if it is, I feel pretty good about the work."

Other random facts:
Chris reluctantly revealed that he and Frank went to Cleveland to do research for the film. Hmm...

David will be doing a blog for the movie.

Frank personally replies to all the fan mail at his site (http://www.biglight.com/blog/), which has a lot of info about the show and the upcoming film, so be sure to check that out.

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