"The X-Files" sequel: Invading theatres this summer

It's been ten long years since the last X-Files film, based on the hit FOX television series of the same name, came out. In that time, star Gillian Anderson got married, got divorced, had a baby and went back to being a blonde--though not necessarily in that order. (And yes, she also received a slew of award nominations for her acting on stage and screen.) David Duchovny had a couple of kids with his real-life wife, Tea Leoni, donated his movie wife's heart to Minnie Driver in Return to Me (2000) and played a hand model in Zoolander.

Yeah, they really do need to go back to their government jobs.

Below are a few sterile and redundant stills from the film:

Last summer, Dorothy Snarker gave us the preliminary scoop on the movie, and yesterday the filmmakers themselves dropped some maddeningly vague hints about the sequel.

While attending the 25th annual William S. Paley Television Festival along with co-writer Frank Spotnitz, director (and series creator) Chris Carter told reporters, "I know what I want it to be, but Fox has ideas of their own...I know what it should be." While the original film centered on the "alien mythology" storyline that came to dominate the series in later years, the sequel will reportedly be a standalone feature, like the "monster of the week" episodes that originally defined the television show. Spotnitz added, "It will not be a mythology movie, but it's true to everything that's come before."

The film, which also stars Amanda Peet and Billy Connolly, is set to hit theatres July 25.

If, like me, you can't wait that long for a Gillian Anderson fix, check out the video below. Back in 1997, Anderson "sang" and appeared in the video for a techno track, "Extremis" by the band Hal. Some of us even bought the cd single and the accompanying VHS video the day it came out. Thinking about the sequel brought back some fond memories of this Skinemax-y, robot-laden masterpiece. Enjoy!

It's a shame they didn't hire the costume designer from "Extremis" for The X-Files sequel, isn't it? And whoever came up with this shot from "Extremis":

should have at least been consider for a job on the feature, right?