The X-Files: Fight the Future

Genre: Thriller/Horror/Science Fiction.

Studio: 20th Century Fox.
Production Company: Ten-Thirteen Productions.

Project Phase: In the Can.

Who's In It: David Duchovny (Agent Fox Mulder); Gillian Anderson (Agent Dana Scully); Martin Landau (Dr. Alvin Kurtzweil); Armin Mueller-Stahl (Conrad Strughold); William B. Davis (Cigarette-Smoking Man); Mitch Pileggi (Assistant Director Walter Skinner); John Neville (Well Manicured Man); Blythe Danner (Assistant Director Jana Cassidy); Glenne Headley; Terry O'Quinn (Special Agent Darius Michaud); Lucas Black (Stevie); Jeffrey DeMunn (Dr. Ben Bronshweig); Dean Haglund (Langly); Tom Braidwood (Frohicke); Bruce Harwood (Byers).
Who's Making It: Rob Bowman (Director); Chris Carter (Screenwriter, Series Creator); Chris Carter, Frank Spotnitz (Story); Chris Carter, Daniel Sackheim (Producers); Lata Ryan (Executive Producer); Frank Spotnitz (Co-Producer); Ward Russell (Director of Photography); Amalgamated Dynamics (Creature Effects); Mark Snow (Musical Score).

Who's on the Soundtrack:
Bjork; Sarah McLachlan; Filter; The Dust Brothers; Foo Fighters; The Cure; Ween; Sting with Aswad; Tonic; The Cranberries; The Cardigans; Better Than Ezra; Neol Gallagher; Chris Carter.

Premise: When agents Mulder and Scully investigate a Dallas skyscraper they realize their investigations into the Bureau's X-Files divisions have raised the stakes. Why does the sinister conspiracy known as the 'Consortium' want to cover up what happened to a young Texas boy who fell into a deep hole? Does Mulder and Scully's investigation theaten to expose the Consortium's plans to unleash a terrible holocaust upon the world? And what is the secret to the enigmatic craft buried deep under the Antarctic wastes??

Release Date: June 19, 1998.

Comments:

Made in early 1997 before the project's official announcement:

The fans that go to X-Files conventions continue to report back on 20th Century Fox's developing of a feature film project, but it remains unknown if the film is intended to make the franchise's leap from television to movies (a la Next Generation) or is an off-shoot to be released in the summer hiatus season. Speculation is so high about this, it's really best to heed Mulder's advise and "Trust No One".

Developments:

April 14, 1997... Rob Bowman is confirmed as director. Duchovny signs on the dotted line for $4 million dollars.

Rumors:

December, 1995... Chris Carter has confirmed that he will write the proposed X-Files movie script during the spring/early summer of 1996, to be possibly filmed immediately before production of season four of the T.V. show. Although it's too early to see what direction the movie plot will evolve into, Carter has spoken that the movie should be a stand-alone story to bring in more of a potential audience not already familiar with the show. Thus, if the movie is successful in its attempt, more people will be inclined to tune into season four/five.

Scoop Feedback:

April 6, 1996... Chris Carter was recently interviewed, saying that he would start writing the movie script soon, and filming should occur next spring. [Scoop provided by 'Freddy'; originally taken from the April 6-12 edition of T.V. Guide.]

June 5, 1996... A submitter informs us that shooting will take place between the 1996-97 and 1997-98 summer hiatus breaks; of which we at CA find a little hard to swallow as accepted fact. Carter may want it that way, but nothing is ever that concrete in film production land. The poster also alludes that the film should be released directly after the seasons fifth and final season in 1998. An unconfirmed rumor has the series final plotline directly leading into the movie's plotline, and will address the dissapearance of Samantha Mulder. Another rumor has it that ideas are already buzzing for a spin-off series of the show that would feature two new FBI agents. [Scoop provided by an anonymous poster.]

June 28, 1996... A nasty rumor has it that former X-Files producers/writers Glen Morgan and James Wong have been brought back to the show at the insistence of Chris Carter. The producer/writer duo struck out on their own last year with their FOX series Space: Above and Beyond, but the series has been cancelled. The nasty edge to the rumor involved Carter speaking to FOX President of Programming John Matioan about returning the pair to the series so Carter can focus developing the forthcoming movie project. Carter's casual-or-not comment may have had significant weight with Matioan's eventual decision to cancel S:AAB and keep Carter happy with FOX's possible franchise. While Morgan and Wong are happy to be working on X-Files again, they feel that not enough promotion and numerous pre-emptions to Space helped with its demise. Morgan and Wong are also reportedly under contract to work with FOX regardless, and would like Space: Above and Beyond to return as a movie the source claims. [Scoop provided by 'The Spy'.]

November 3, 1996... A rumor mentions that Nicholas Lea (the actor that portrays former FBI agent/assassin Alex Krycek) may be included in the upcoming X-Files movie, as well as the character Jerry Hardin portrayed ('Deep Throat'). Since Carter hasn't written the movie's script yet, these rumors can't be confirmed. Carter may be in the starting phases of developing a storyline for the feature and mulling around possible story ideas and characters included in the show, so nothing can be confirmed as-of yet. [Scoop sent in by Gerthein.]

November 17, 1996... While doing interviews for his new series Millennium Chris Carter stated that neither Gillian Anderson or David Duchovny are signed as of yet to do any X-Files movie. Carter has expressed he's having trouble developing the story so that it's a 'stand-alone' and not tied into the U.F.O. 'mythology' arc of the series. Incidentally, the '97-'98 season was designated as the last, but Carter says that may not be so anymore - regardless of the release (or not) of an X-Files film. Carter also notes, according to this scooper, that the Samantha plot-line will be resolved at the beginning of the next season and not in the movie. [Scoop supplied anonymously.]

November 17-21, 1996... Two people report that they've seen a Gillian Anderson interview where the actress said she didn't want to do an X-Files movie. [Scoop sent in by 'cromwell'.]

The second individual reports that at a Star Trek convention in Adelaide, Australia, the editor of Starlog magazine (Dave McDonnell) mentions that it is "highly unlikely" Gillian Anderson will be in the X-Files film. Fox has announced it for a November '97 release, but word is Anderson wants to do a different role for her first feature and not be typecast. [Scoop handed in by 'Super Dave'.]

November 25, 1996... Word reached CA that Quentin Tarantino will direct an upcoming episode of the television series to be broadcast after the Superbowl game in January 1997. Tarantino originally had a snafu with the Director's Guild of America; Tarantino doesn't belong to the organization, and therefore can't direct on Guild sanctioned projects. He received a waiver last year to direct an episode of E.R., and it was only to be a one-time event. It's unclear just yet if Tarantino plans to join the Guild or if another waiver was issued. [Scoop supplied by 'Burgerflipper'.]

December, 1996... Tarantino's request to direct an X-Files episode was turned down by the Director's Guild. [Scoops sent in by various sources.]

January 21, 1997... In an interview picked up by numerous publications, Chris Carter stated that he is currently planning to leave the show after the fifth season. During the same summer (1998), an X-Files feature would be released that would tie-up the season cliffhanger and possibly any loose plot threads left behind by the series. Carter cites a desire to move on to other theatrical projects as well as wanting to end his involvement with the series on a high crest. However, Carter also rather enigamtically alluded that the plan is tentative at best; matters (or paychecks) might change and he may remain on for a sixth season. However, with ratings for the television series at an all-time high, and with both Gillian Anderson and David Duchovny committed by contract for six seasons, the series may continue on without the direct involvement of Carter. [Scoops sent in by Brent Lynch, 'd190-83', 'widgett', 'Constantine', Drew, 'Ziggy Stardust', 'JTR555' and anonymously.]

And an Australian reader came across a curious news item. Seems that a television magazine reported that Duchovny convinced fellow FBI agent Gillian Anderson to hold off on signing the ink with any movie contracts. Reportedly, Fox wanted the two stars to commit to at least three X-Files features. [Scoop reported by 'gasoline'.]

March 18, 1997... A substantial part has been written for actor Lance Henriksen (lead actor in Carter's other Fox-TV series, Millennium.) It's unknown at the present time whether or not Henriksen's role would be that of his television character, profiler Frank Black, or an entirely new character. [Scoop sent in by various scoopers.]

April 5, 1997... Will regular series director Rob Bowman direct the feature film? [Scoop sent in by 'BBossert'; later confirmed.]

April 16, 1997... Bowman (who's directed several episodes, including the post-Superbowl Leonard Betts and the highly forgettable big-screen teen rollerblader flick Airbourne ) is confirmed. Fox also annoucned that David Duchovny has finalized his contract negotiations, agreeing to star in the picture for $4 million dollars plus profit sharing. Gillian Anderson's discussions are on-going. [Scoops sent in by Tim Fink, Joe Hanna, 'H.B.', Christian, 'Scooperpooper', 'FraggleMom', 'Maverick', 'JTR555', 'Sancho', 'Howard Stern', 'sperkins', Allan Whatford, 'Simba'. Special acknowledgment to Brent Lynch for the background directorial info on Bowman!]

From the Shrug FileS (i.e. - we haven't a clue as to its authenticity...)

"My brother in law works at the law firm that is handling Chris Carter's legal affairs for his sexual harrasment thing. He is telling me that the script had been completed by Carter and green lighted for much longer than people think, but that Mr. Carter's lawyer (after viewing a copy) noticed some striking similarities betweeen the woman who is suing them and a woman who is abducted, tortured, and killed by aliens after she slaps her boss with a false law suit." We need Spooky working on this one, pronto. [Scoop sent in anonymously - but the email had a odor of cigarette smoke to it...]

The official magazine reports that the film will incorporate story threads from the fifth-season cliffhanger but that a person unfamiliar with the episode in question will not be left out. Locations are being presently scouted for, including places in the American Southwest and 'cold' locales. The filming will not occur in and around Vancouver, B.C., as the series crew will be prepping the upcoming sixth season episodes. [A wealth of top secret information supplied by our digital Deep Throat Josh Ehrnwald.]

"Chris Carter came on Campus for a Q&A last week. One of the more interesting scoops he mentioned was the fact that he had 2 X-files movies planned. The first one will not use the T.V. series crew but he has promised them jobs for the second movie. He also brought up the fact that the movie script for the first movie is 2/3 done." [Info supplied by 'xing' at UCLA.]

May 25, 1997... Word around Vancouver is that there are only a small number of copies of the X-Files movie script - and they're printed on red paper, as to prevent widespread photocopying.

We also got this email:

"The movie will have roughly 20 FBI agent characters, and involve the Elders - a mysterious group that meets when trouble arises. Filming will take place in California and Alaska." The filming locales are confirmed, but as to the Elders...? [Scoop sent in by Drew.]

June 1, 1997... Lance Henriksen has passed on the opportunity to star in the X-Files feature. The actor was offered the opportunity to play President Abraham Lincoln in a TNT TV movie and leaped at the chance. [Info submitted by 'Raven', 'Nikita 42', and anonymously.]

Also, the name the production team members are using to refer to the project is 'Blackwood'. We were unable to find out if this is a codename, the movie's subtitle, or a ruse. [Scoops sent in by 'Stringer C', 'widgett', anonymously.]

A scooper who also reported the above developments also included this: that Gillian Anderson has signed for an unspecified amount (unconfirmed by us); that Mulder and Scully will persue a romantic relationship in the movie. [Scoop sent anonymously.]

Another person heard a rumor that the President of the United States is abducted in the movie, and that the show delves into the Consortium's attempts to cover up the truth. [Sent in anonymously.]

On Monday May 19th the shop doing the makeup effects for Blackwood was told to stop all work. No word from the scooper if the work continued at a later date. [Sent in anonymously.]

June 10, 1997... The above anonymous scooper returns with an update: work has indeed resumed in the makeup department. "The delay was so Chris Carter could review the work being done," the scooper tells us. Carter did ask for some changes to be made; what these changes were to, we haven't a clue.

Also, the 'Blackwood' moniker seems to be just a code word for the production, or at least the production staff are referring to it as such. [Sent in anonymously.]

Dallas, Texas will be one of the locales Scully and Mulder find themselves at, although the production won't actually visit the city. The Dallas Morning News Today reported that although one of the scenes for the film happens in Dallas, no filming will occur there. [Sent in by 'ghill'.]

A Web site devoted to actor Mitch Pileggi (a.k.a. FBI Director Skinner) mentions that Pileggi would be included in the movie. [Sent in anonymously.]

Dean Haglund, who portrays Lone Gunman Langley, said his scenes would be filmed in L.A. in two weeks. [Scoop sent in by 'Deep Throat' and 'southern'; awaiting confirmation.]

We're told that principal photography has already started on the film. While the film is shooting in L.A., we've received another report that the setting is Dallas, Texas. Producers have been talking to the Dallas police department about using official Dallas logos and signs in a scene. Only two people are going to get to read the complete script, but both have been required to sign non-disclosure agreements. No, we ain't one of 'em. [Thanks to 'MattM71496'.]

" I interviewed William B. Davis (Cigarette Smoking Man) when he spoke last week at the U. of Georgia and he told me that they're starting shooting this week on The X-Files movie. Duchovny, Anderson and him are all in it, but even he hasn't seen the completed script as of last week.

And he signed an unopened pack of Marlboros for me - quite a nice guy." [Sent in by 'hansolo'.]

And it looks like it's true folks: Gillian Anderson has signed for the movie. She'll reportedly earn the same dough as her co-star Duchovny (around $4 mil, which ain't bad.) [Covered by Drew, 'widgett'.]

June 17, 1997... Thanks to a scooper named 'Deep Throat', we're able to contact actor Dean Haglund (who portrays Lone Gunman Langly) and confirm his involvement with the X-Files movie. As well, Haglund's other fellow Lone Gunmen will be seen in the film. Haglund will shoot his scenes in L.A. in about two weeks. [Thanks to 'Deep Throat' for the contact, and Dean Haglund for the info. An additional scoop from 'JTR555'.]

June 24, 1997... [We knew someone would help us out. Supplying the additional Lone Gunmen character names was the ever-helpful 'Mr. X'. He's also got this theory that the 'Blackwood' subtitle refers to Fox Mulder's obsession with former MTV VJ Nina Blackwood and his search for what has become of her. Thing is, we'd believe it.]

June 29, 1997... Oscar-winning actor Martin Landau has joined the cast as Mr. Farber. ("Mr. Who?") [Scoops sent in by Joe Hanna, Christian, Drew, Calvin, 'UNBlonde', 'spirit' and anonymously.]

Ok, Millennium fans, listen up: if you caught the latest round of cast additions in the 'Who's In It' entry waaay above, you'd remember that Millennium series regular Terry O'Quinn is in the X-Files feature. Remember that Lance Henriksen was asked to be in the film but couldn't make it? Put two and two together, and it looks like Henriksen's Millennium buddy will be filling in for Frank. Crossover of some kind in the works? Could very well be. [Musings also sent in by 'spirit', care of Millennium Melanie.]

And Fox Mulder would love the irony of this one. None other than The National Enquirer has printed the 'complete' synopsis of the X-Files movie. The story, according to the Enquirer, has a group of alien lizard humanoids crashing on Earth 20,000 years ago. After being set free by some kids in the wrong place at the wrong time, they go about attacking people via a strange black goo-like substance - which then transmutates into the lizard creatures after a time. Also, a sub-plot involves the Consortium releasing the strain of killer bees seen in Seasons Three and Four of the television series. Is it true? Well, Fox would know - he's got a subscription to the mag. [Sent in by a horde of X-Philes passing through the check-out aisles around North America...]

July 27, 1997... This scooper heard that Terry O'Quinn's character will not be Millennium member Peter Watts, nor the character O'Quinn played in the X-Files episode "Aubrey". Instead the actor will be portraying a new, no-nonsense FBI agent. [Scoop filed anonymously.]

On the local Bakersfield, California news they featured a report showing footage of Anderson and Duchovny walking along side of "something very weird." "I don't really know how to describe it," said the scooper. "It is kind of like a glowing tent? Like those BIG circus tents. It is all white. Could it be alien related??" [Filed by 'The-Mayfair-House-Keeper'.]

And: "Film crews have been seen in and around the Bakersfield area. Rumor has it that they are filming, there are tents like the ones in 'Herrenvolk' and they are supposed to film the climax there." [Sent in anonymously.]

August 4, 1997... A friend of ours tells us that Terry O'Quinn's character is named Darius Michaud. [Scoop submitted anonymously.]

August 5, 1997... For those of you that visit Dean "Langly" Haglund's web site, you should be informed of a recent posting that appeared on his site. Due to legal non-disclosure agreements, Haglund cannot discuss his role in the X-Files movie in any way. That means he can't talk about it, period. Understand that this comes down from his employer Twentieth Century Fox, and we here at CA can understand the studio's desire to keep all facets of the storyline secret. (Of course, that's also the reason why we exist.) In the meanwhile, Dean's site remains up, and once the release date for the film starts creeping up close, we're sure he'll be able to discuss his involvement (or non-involvement) freely. [Word sent in by 'JTR555'.]

It looks like former FBI-agent Krycek (played by Nicholas Lea), who plays renegade agent Alex Krycek on the series will also make the transition to film. The actor (known as 'Ratboy' to the adoring fans on Usenet's X-Files forums) couldn't make an appearance at the StarCon convention. Instead he was filming his part in the X-Files feature, then pop back to Toronto to start shooting Once a Thief. If Lea's involvement pans out, it looks like everyone of the (surviving) supporting characters will be in the feature. [Scoop reported by a happy anonymous person.]

August 9, 1997... Actors Blythe Danner, Glenne Headley, Lucas Black, Jeffrey DeMunn are all in the picture. [Scooped by 'pduff'.]

Asked about what one can expect to see resolved in the feature film, series creator/screenwriter Chris Carter alluded that Agent Scully's brain cancer will be finally dealth with. Carter also mentioned that season five will be one long build-up to the feature film. The film will answer some of the many unanswered questions fans have been asking while also creating some important new mysteries. [Sent in by 'The Man in Black'.]

Amalgamated Dynamics appears to have created the film's principal alien. Some scoopers have seen the creature in question; they wish to keep details secret until the film's release (as in, 'don't bite the hand that feeds you', and we can understand that.) [Scooped anonymously.]

August 12, 1997... Someone somewhere heard that David Duchovny's new wife, Téa Leoni, will make a brief appearance in the film as a witness who reports to the FBI agents. [Scoop sent anonymously.]

This appeared in a DAT tape dropped off on our front doormat...our home's front doormat, that is. Jeffrey DeMunn's character in the film is named Dr. Al Kurtzweil; he's a scientist with pertinent info that puts him in jeopardy. Lucas Black's character is named Stevie, and he's a curious 12-year old boy who falls into a cave and gets the wind knocked out of him. [Submitted anonymously.]

So get a load of this scoop then: "And in the totally unsubstantiated department: AOL postings and email list reports have them hiring fire department trucks and crews, blowing up something and rescuing a young boy from a well (he was supposedly not alone) at the Bakersfield set." Could this be out little Stevie? [Sent by anonymous.]

Someone with a tape of the episode mentioned in this scooper's email, check this out. If it's correct, it's tantalizing to think about the possibilities...

"Your scoop was curious about the identity of Martin Landau's character, Mr. Farber. You might be interested to know that the doctor who repressed Mulder with hypnosis and revealed that his sister was abducted by aliens was a Dr. Farber. This was explained in the first episode and the doctor can be heard on an audio tape of the hypnosis session in 1X04 - Conduit." [Deep cover info supplied by an 'Agent Mulder'.]

"I asked around about the Terry O'Quinn character on the Millennium newsgroup and was told that no, he will not be playing Darius Marchaud but he will be playing Peter Watts, his character on Millennium [in the X-Files movie]. I don't know if this is wishful thinking or what, but one reporter promised me confirmation, so I'm going to try and get that within the next couple of days. The idea of a Millennium/X-Files crossover is looking a lot more likely on television at least: it has been confirmed by Morgan and Wong that some of the X-files minor characters (ie. Jose Chung) will be crossing over into Millennium in the second season. I don't know what this bodes for the movie." [Sent in by 'spirit'.]

"Yes - I can confirm that the scripts are printed on red paper and that Martin Landau is in the movie. Shooting has so far occurred in various places around downtown LA and in the Angeles National Forest. (LA shooting locations so far portray Dallas and Washington, D.C./Alexandria, VA). One shooting location in the downtown area (portraying Dallas) had principals and extras reacting to a building being blown up (SFX)." [Reported anonymously.]

And mysteriously, Dean Haglund's web site wasn't responding in the early part of August. Does anyone know what happened? [Brought to our attention by Ken Bussanmas.]

August 19, 1997... We're sent two polite note with the first names of all three Lone Gunmen on it. They will be officially revealed early in season five and are mentioned in the movie: Dean Haglund is 'Ringo Langly', Tom Braidwood is 'Melvin Frohike', and Bruce Harwood is 'John Byers'. To which we must add: Ringo? [Both were sent in anonymously.]

There's a scene in the movie where Scully gets kidnapped by a bogus paramedic team, right out from under the watchful gaze of her partner. When Mulder finally clues in and tries to rescue her he winds up with a bullet in his arm - which prompted this scooper to say "Yeah, it's about time Mulder got beat up instead of Scully." [Sent in by 'Moridin'; originally appeared in the Australian TV Week magazine.]

Armin Mueller-Stahl was just cast in an important role; we're told he'll be playing Dr. Al Kurtzweil. Also, Jeffrey DeMunn's character is named Dr. Ben Bronshweig. [Scoops sent by 'Lillepus01' and anonymously.]

September 1, 1997... Another scooper reports to us that the Dr. Kurtzweil character may be literally the character Matrin Landau will be portraying; if that's accurate then the press reports were erroneous (which is unlikely.) The individual also tells us that the character of 'Jana Cassidy', an ambitous FBI lawyer, will be played by Blythe Danner or Glenne Headly (they were unsure which actress would be portraying the character.) [Sent in anonymously.]

September 2, 1997... ' JTR555' re-affirms that the Lone Gunmen's first names are indeed Ringo Langly, Melvin Frohicke and John Byers. According to the scooper, this will be made known in episode 5.1 (titled Unusual Suspects) which shows how the trio first met; at the time, Byers was working for the Federal Communications Commission (FCC). [Thanks to 'JTR555' for the black ops.]

September 21, 1997... A good friend of composer Mark Snow tells us that both Chris Carter and Rob Bowman have both asked him to prepare for scoring duties. Snow wants to utilize an orchestra for the film, rather than the purely electronic scores from the series. And the title for the movie right now is Blackwood: The X-Files. [Sent in by 'Brently'.]

October 21, 1997... Chris Carter probably loves this site...well, he may have looked at it while surfing the Web one day. Ok, ok -- he's just nervous about it. In the September 21 edition of The New York Times Carter said that he was intentionally spreading some false rumors to confuse movies rumor sources. We're pretty sure the focus of Carter's statement was probably directed at The National Enquirer for printing an alleged synopsis of the movie's storyline, so we called up the magazine and asked to speak to the story's writer. The editor told us that the writer hasn't been since the night his neighbors awoke to a brilliant white light coming from directly above the writer's home, and which suddenly winked out without a sound. Officials at Carter's production company declined to comment. [Thanks to anonymous for the tip.]

We've been getting some scoops about the supposed secondary character names. While we can't prove to you that they're legit, they certainly are proof that someone out there has a good imagination.

According to one source, Glenne Headley plays a bar maid described as an tough broad. Hogar Matthews, who our source tells us has appeared in the series, plays one of the Paramedics who kidnaps Scully. As for Martin Landau's character, the name he uses at the start of the picture is Mr. Faber, but that is just an alias. His character's real name is Conrad Strunghold. And Millennium's Terry O'Quinn plays Darius Michaud, an FBI Tactican "with lots of experience." The source also reports that Skinner has a scene with the Lone Gunman in the movie, and that actor Jason Beghe, who last appeared in G.I. Jane, has a role in the movie. [Submitted anonymously.]

Then this email gets popped into our mailbox. The scooper claims it's taken from the film's casting director sheets - a list of the rumored secondary characters that may appear in the show!

The list also confirms Terry O'Quinn as Peter Watts as well as Martin Landau playing the 'Mr. Farber'. [Sent to us by 'smith9269'.]

One supporting character from the television series will definately not be seen in the big picture. Actor Nicholas Lea, who portrays renegade agent Krycek gave an interview for a local tv show in Vancouver, B.C., at which time Lea said his duties starring in the new syndicated television series John Woo's Once a Thief conflicted with his shooting schedule in L.A. There's always next time, Nick. [Sent anonymously.]

But to show you that you really should trust no one, another scooper reports to us that the characters Al Kurztweil and Mr. Farber are actually the same person (which contradicts the first source's information.) Additionally, this new scooper tells us Blythe Danner's character is named Jana Cassidy, and Armin Mueller-Stahl portrays the previously-mentioned Conrad Strughold. [Scoop reported anonymously.]

And while it doesn't contain one guaranteed iota of proof, reader Maarten Scharrenborg from the Netherlands send us his theory behind why the film may be subtitled 'Blackwood'. It's an interesting idea that we'd like to share with you...

"I was reading a selection of stories by Edgar allan Poe ('Spirits of the dead: Tales and Poems') and I came across a tale called 'How to Write a Blackwood Article'. I immediately thought of the upcoming X-Files movie and read the story with more than average attention. It was about a certain mister Blackwood who is the founder/owner/editor of a magazine called 'Blackwood'. This magazine is filled with the most outrageous stories, you can think of. And these stories are told as if they happened for real. Furthermore this man encourages his writers to use all kinds of trivialities and quotes (that have nothing to do with the story, but they make the writer look like a very educated man or woman) to beef up the stories...... In the story Mr. Blackwood explains all of this and gives examples to a young woman who wants to write stories for this magazine.

"The tale that follows 'How to Write an Blackwood Article' is called 'A Predicament' and it's the article the young woman wrote for the Blackwood. She came up with an ridiculous story about her head being ripped off by the small hand of a clock and surviving. She used the examples Mr. Blackwood gave her but she used them all wrong and made stupid mistakes....

"This isn't a real explanation, but I could imagine this is a reason why they picked Blackwood as a working title for the project (as a reference to all the misleading information that has been pouring from the set and all the misinterpreting of information that has been going on). At least this is a better explanation that the Nina Blackwood theory..." Gotta agree with you on that one, Maarten. [Scoop sent in by Maarten Scharrenborg (a.k.a. 'Stupendous Man'), this month's 'Edgar Allan Poe' Award recipient.]

October 26, 1997... The trailer for The X-Files will be attached to the prints of Alien Resurrection this November, reports Chris Fusco, creator of The Official X-Files Site. [Scooped by Ryan Salmon.]

November 2, 1997... The release date for the film is now known - June 19, 1998. According to anonymous sources, the film's subtitle may end up being 'Fight the Future'. Blythe Danner portrays Jana Cassidy, a politically connected FBI lawyer who isn't interested in helping Mulder search for the truth. Glenne Headly is the barmaid. [Scoops submitted by Nicole, 'Svrgn1701E', 'staticd', Joseph and anonymously.]

Another scooper gossips that the 'Blackwood' title refers to a move in bridge - where the move is the revealing of your hand and showing all your cards to your opponent. [Gossip mailed to us by 'aknapp2'.]

Ward Russell will be the director of photography, not John Bartley. [Thanks to 'paulr1'.]

December 2, 1997... The trailer is out there. Judging from your scoops, a lot of X-Philes checked out Fox's Alien Resurrection this past weekend to watch the X-Files movie teaser trailer. Although not much was shown of note (it starts off with television images taken from the news, then turns into a montage of action images), the release date was established: June 19, 1997. And a big 'I told you so' to all those Star Wars One believers who "swore" the film's new trailer would play in front of AR. [Thanks to our X-Philes...you all know who you are.]

December 12, 1997... Ryan Salmon's X-Files site now houses the movie trailer tagged with Alien Resurrection, while Fox, not to be outdone, also has it running up on their interactive site. Check out www.thex-files.com/video/xfmov70.mov or http://www.wsu.edu/~rsalmon/trailer.mov to see Scully and Mulder do the 70mm thing. [Thanks to Ryan Salmon!]

December 14, 1997... Our friendly scooper Matt has seen some preliminary artwork for the teaser and one-sheet posters, and he tells us a predominant theme is the use of bees and/or honeycombs in the posters. Definately sounds like those mutant killer bees will be back. [Thanks to beekeeper Matt for the scoop from the hive.]

January 10, 1998... Andreas Olofsson, the creator of Andy's TV & Silverscreen Website, has been sent a cease-and-desist email from 20th Century Fox in regards to an alleged script fragment from the feature film that Olofsson posted on his website. The letter, from an unknown department within Fox, orders for the immediate removal of the script fragment from the website or else Olofsson runs the risk of legal consequences, and also instructs other similar websites to cease-and-desist. Olofsson has complied with the letter, but his reply will arrive after January 14th, the date Fox decried his response must be in their offices by closing time or else they might take legal action. The sixteen-year-old Olofsson lives in Sweden, where it will take a minimum of five days for his letter to reach Fox's Beverly Hills address, and the Fox email does not have a valid return address.

Of course, this would seem to confirm that the 5-page fragment is indeed authentic. [Notes left under Corona's door by 'GF 2020' and anonymous senders.]

January 12, 1998... Interested in what the teaser poster looks like? "It's kind of yellowish in color, featuring a road leading off into the distance, with cornfields running alongside it. In the distance, there are two yellowish sun-like objects on the horizon, along with another sun higher up. Three helicopters are flying in the distance as well. A large green 'X' is the main feature of the poster, with the white word 'Fight' in the center.

"At the bottom: 'Only in Theaters June 19.'"

[Thanks to rogue FBI agent 'cpfuhr' for the dangerous info.]

January 14, 1998... Thanks to our friend/danger to the free world over at Dark Horizons, CA readers can now take a gander at the X-Files teaser poster. Hey, is that the Windows 95 'image of a horse in a cloud' in-between the left-hand circle frame and the 'X'? Ah, never mind -- Scully wouldn't believe us either. [Mucho gracias to Garth Franklin.]

February 23, 1998... Wait long enough and ye shall receive. A thoughtful reader took time out to scan in for us the second X-Files movie teaser poster for us (hey, 20th Century guys! C'mon! Where were you?!) Rumor has it TwenCen will release six teaser posters with just one word on each, but all six words and images will 'interlock' together once we've seen them all. When the time comes for our alien overlords to take over the world, we'll be sure to put in a good word for our scooper. To everyone else -- just remember you had your chance when you get implanted in the dead of the night. [Special thanks to Kristen, with a lil' help from 'C'.]

Actors John Moore and Stanley Walsh are in the film, playing the Second Elder and Third Elder, respectively. Also, Duchovny, Anderson, Pileggi and several unconfirmed actors have been called back for reshots, presumably to include new series character Agent Jeffrey Spender, played by actor Chris Owens. The Spender character is introduced in a two-part episode this season, said to be a very pivotal character, and rumored to replace Duchovny's character if he did leave the show. Fact is, the TV X-Files will leave CA's home turf of Vancouver come the end of the season, and both Anderson and Duchovny are committed to two more seasons contractually. [First part: thanks to anonymous. Second part courtesy of Dark Horizons and deep-cover CA sources (ok, we were hanging out by the coffee truck on-set and overheard it...)]

March 9, 1998... X-Files electronic composer Mark Snow announced at the touring convention the soundtrack for the film will be released one day after the picture, on the 20th of June. Snow is currently working on the soundtrack and said it will include a mixture of his electronic sampling and a full orchestra. According to him, other artists such as Sting, Beck and U2 will also be on it. [Thanks to 'GF2020'.]

Two casting rumors: Brian "Alien Bounty Hunter" Thompson may get some scenes in the X-Files movie [Sent in by 'TrapeZe']; and someone else told CA that Steven Williams character gets resurrected for an appearance (yes, he is dead, and yes, I'm not buying it until I see more, Mr. You-Know-Who-You-Are.) [Anonymous.]

March 15, 1998... A little Grey alien woke up us in the dead of the night. While taking us to the mothership for medical examination, it happened to mention to us "anonymously" that the second trailer for The X-Files movie should be attached to The Newton Boys (opening March 20th) or The Object of My Affection (opening March 27th.) Just before we lost consciousness on the table, we did happen to see a terminal that a group of Greys were clustered around. They were checking out CA's page on Doctor Doolittle. [Info recovered via a hypnosis session by 'GF2020'.]

March 22, 1998... Here's some info about the Elders, sent to us by clandestine means. There are 12 Elders in all seen in the picture, with members ranging from the United States, Great Britain, Italy, and Germany; there may be some Japanese Elders seen as well, but the scooper was unsure of this. Russia and France seem to be against the group, or at least independent of them, our scooper says. Don S. Williams is portraying the First Elder, Stanley Walsh is the Second Elder, and John Moore is the Third Elder. "These three men have been seen before on the series, and are returning for the film, but the other nine Elders will be played by newer actors to give the group a greater international flavor," the scooper finishes off with. [Thanks to anonymous.]

March 24, 1998... "I went with my roommate to visit his dad in L.A. this past weekend. His dad is a pyro-technician as well as a special effects technician for one of the effects companies out-sourced for the upcoming X-Files movie. At the workshop, he showed us a 'pod'. It looked like a translucent coffin with metal clamps holding it shut and wires pouring out the bottom end. Next to the pod was a bloated and deformed human with what looked like an umbilical coming out of him. My friend's dad said he thinks the pod is used by the aliens to prepare hosts out of humans. The human was really sick lookin'." [Thanks to rogue FBI agent 'bspackman'.]

March 29, 1998... "I saw composer Mark Snow at the X-Files Expo in San Francisco, he said the soundtrack was recorded on DA-88's in Southern California...suprising...I hope they didn't skimp on the rest of the movie! (By the way, the expo in San Francisco was a DISASTER!)" In what ways the scooper never elaborated to us. [Anonymous.]

April 7, 1998... Fox's new romantic-comedy, The Object of My Affection, is released April 17th. Running in front of the picture will also be the final trailer for The X-Files. You can bet your last dollar there'll be some nifty new scenes showcased. [Information snuck out of the Pentagon by 'C'.]

April 10, 1998... The third and final teaser poster is out there and now on CA. [Thanks to Ryan at the Unofficial homepage for the picture.]

So spread the word to 'alt.tx.xfiles'. Lucas Talent, the acting agency that handles actor Chris Owens (Agent Spender) has officially denied Owens will appear in the film. Rumors have been circulating that Owens was called in for reshoots. [Thanks to Deb Dillistone at Lucas Talent.]

Last night Entertainment Tonight broadcast the second and final trailer for the picture. Loads of ultra-neato scenes were seen. Here's a transcript of what you'll see if you catch The Object of My Affection next weekend:

  • The little boy Stevie falling into a underground cave exclaiming 'WHOOAA!'
  • Hitting the cave bottom with a shovel
  • Stevie's friends look down into the cave and one of them asks 'Stevie, you okay?'
  • Stevie gets up and dusts himself off, coughing. 'I Just got the wind knocked out of me' he answers
  • Stevie's friend asks 'What's down there Stevie?'
  • Stevie picks up a skull and says 'It's a human skull!'

    (Captal words are in white text with a black background)
    THERE ARE FORCES ON EARTH

  • 'Toss it up here dude' says another of his friends
  • 'No way buttwipe it's mine" says Stevie

    TOO HIDDEN TO BE DETECTED

  • Stevie looks at the skull (which we get a closeup of )

    CONSPIRACIES TOO VAST

  • "Hey Stevie!" says the first friend. Then all of a sudden we see black alien goo ( that has been seen before on the series) starts to go up Stevie's shoes.
    Stevie looks up, fear dawning in his eyes...

    TO BE UNCOVERED

  • Stevie drops the skull
  • "You okay?" Stevie's friends ask
  • "Man, let's get out of here!" They run away after they take one last look at Stevie.. as we see the black goo up is starting to take over his eyes and possibly his body

  • Screen fades to black. Then one piece of dialog from Mulder: "Scully? ... Run!"

  • We see the Texas building exploding pushing a police car fowarded as we see Mulder and Scully in the police car holding on for dear life as the back window shatters
  • Men in quarentine suits entering a lab of some sort
  • A unmarked helicopter approaching mysterious Domes with a light on searching for...
  • Mulder and Scully who are running into a cornfield...
  • ...we then get a flash of Scully on a gurney
  • Then we see the Well Manicured Man on the phone listening to Cancer Man who is saying "We have a situation"
  • Vertical shot of the Texas building blowing up
  • Tunnel shot from first trailer
  • Mulder and Scully running throught the cornfield
  • Scully on cell phone
  • Shot of Mulder (trying to get Scully to rejoin the FBI ?): "I need you on this"
  • Shot of Scully
  • Mulder in a big room with a flashlight looking at what appears to be alien pods
  • A shot of more various unmarked helicopters
  • Armin Muller Stahl (talking to Mulder): " One man alone can't fight the future"
  • Mulder and Scully walking on farmland
  • A man in jogging attire getting attacked by someone or something (it looks likes the lizard described in the Nation Enquirer piece)
  • A sewer cover closes
  • Mulder running through traffic
  • Mulder and Scully in FBI Blue jackets, Scully saying "There is no time"
  • Snow vehicle moving through snow
  • Shot of Mulder holding a deadly sick Scully in his arms
  • Shot of Elders, First Elder (Don S. Williams) : "It has mutated"
  • Well Manicured Man: "Into what ?"
  • Man in a military uniform burning cornfields
  • Man running toward Snow mountain
  • Scully and Mulder getting out of a car
  • Snow mountain(?) has an avalanche(?) with at least one person on the mountain
  • Another spooky corridor with Mulder in it.
  • Mulder holding on losing grip with a weird look on his face
  • Mulder and Scully running again
  • Mulder entering a room

  • Well Manicured Man and Mulder in a airplane sitting next to each other. Well Manicured Man spots to Mulder a familar phrase " Trust no one Mr. Mulder"
  • Shot of Skinner looking grumpy as usual
  • Caveman falling through ice
  • Mulder sliding down a rail-system of some kind
  • Shot of someone in quarentine (the heroic firefighter? Scully?)
  • Martin Landau's character and Mulder together at a bar. Landau says: "The truth is something you'd never guess, never predict!"
  • Shot of Mulder in Antarctica covered in ice and snow

    Then:

    SHOT OF THE MOVIE LOGO with 'Fight The Future' in red letters right next to it."

    [Thanks to 'GF2020', our detailed ET watchman and to an anonymous scooper for the assist.]

    April 11, 1998... Contrary to what 'GF2020' reported to us on March 9th, the soundtrack to The X-Files movie is set to be released on June 2. [A. Woolsey.]

    Here's an interesting email we received a few days back. Does it reveal the events that lead up to the film's opening?

    "In the Season Finale, entitled 'Zijgansk', Scully gets so fed up with following Mulder that she quits the FBI. Mulder coaxes her to go with him to Dallas, and while they are there, Alex Krycek blows up the Federal Building with Mulder inside.

    "The movie begins here. 35,000 years ago, cave men are doing caveman things when they discover the black cancer. Cut to present day on a playground (seen the red movie poster?) where kids are digging. They dig up a caveman skull with a film of the black cancer over its eyes. Later, CSM shows up at the Project site where he sees a man who is infected with the virus spread by bees. He directs the doctors to keep him in order to fight the 'Colonists.' Just before a kiss is shared by Mulder and Scully, a pesky bee stings her, and she is taken away by 'rogue' EMTs, who take her to Alaska. The driver shoots Mulder in the head. He spins, and catches it in the side of the head. He escapes to find his partner." [Anonymous.]

    April 19, 1998... Artists on the soundtrack will be Bjork, Sarah McLachlan, Filter, The Dust Brothers, Foo Fighters, The Cure, Ween, Sting with Aswad, Tonic, The Cranberries, The Cardigans, and Better Than Ezra. Filter and Foo Fighters also showed up on X-Files: Songs in the Key of X, songs inspired by the television series. [Thanks to Vince Yim.]

    At the Chicago X-Files our scooper learned that Ass't Director Skinner has only three scenes in the movie, one of which is with the Lone Gunmen. Mitch Pileggi, the actor who portrays Skinner described the scene as very funny, but that it also conveys that the Gunmen had met Skinner before. As for the Gunmen, they don't have a big role either. Glenne Headley was confirmed as the barmaid who has a funny one-liner after a Mulder-monologue. Also, the rating of the film will be PG-13. [Informant GF2020 helped us out.]

    April 24, 1998... The Raving Toy Maniac web page posted images of the new alien action figures from the movie Wednesday. As of today's date these images are gone at the request of McFarlane Toys. [Anonymous.]

    Also, a plethora of X-Philes tell us the April 11th post we received from 'anonymous' regarding the season finale storyline is false. The title of the finale is simply The End. We were hoping to get some leads on the ending of the episode to see if it directly seques into the feature but it doesn't look like that's the case. [Thanks to three (hundred) Lone Gunmen fans for the tip.]

    May 19, 1998... One month until the movie opens.

    The May 25 issue of Time magazine had a blurb regarding the soundtrack. Apparently there's a spoken-word piece on the movie's soundtrack starting 10 minutes and 13 seconds after the last track. Time reported that the text of the piece remains top secret, but the speaker explains how the X-Files came to be and the conspiracy surrounding them. It closes by saying "The truth is out there. You just have to wait around a bit to hear it." Who's the speaker? [X-file reported by agent 'jumping4joy'.]

    We've got the final line-up of that soundtrack and its artists being released on June 2nd by Elektra Records. The soundtrack will be available both in a standard jewel case and in a special limited edition blister pack.

    The artists and their songs are:

  • Filter - "One"
  • Tonic- "Flowerman"
  • Foo Fighters - "Walking After You"
  • Ween - "Beacon Light"
  • Sting & Aswad - "Invisible Sun"
  • The Cardigans -"Deuce"
  • Better Than Ezra - "Murder In This Town"
  • The Cure - "More Than This"
  • Bjork - "Hunter"
  • Soul Coughing - "16 Horses"
  • X - "Crystal Ship"
  • Sarah McLachlan - "Black"
  • Noel Gallagher (of Oasis) - "Teotihuacan"
  • Dust Brothers - "X-Files Theme"

    [Thanks to our man 'Jeff Jeffries' for scaring up the music info.]

    Another scooper is casting a critical eye towards the X-Files film and the cult series of British SF movies known as The Quatermass Series. Here's what they had to say about the similarities between the two franchises...

    "Gelatinous aliens possess humans: "The Quatermass Xperiment" (a.k.a. The Creeping Unknown)

    "Aliens and high-placed goverment officials create an alien colony on Earth using government facilities and funds. "Quatermass II" (a.k.a. Enemy from Space)

    "Insect-like aliens manipulate human genes to produce human servants. "Quatermass & the Pit5,000,000 Years to Earth)

    "Aliens manipulate large groups of humans into open areas and incinerate them. "Quatermass" (a.k.a. The Quatermass Conclusion)

    "In all cases, only Bernard Quatermass can fight both his own government and aliens to stop the threats! Sound familiar?

    "I hope The X-Files has a 'Story by Nigel Kneale' credit. Quatermass was a group of mini-series on the BBC running from 1953 to 58. All the episodes were written by Nigel Kneale. Each mini-series was remade as a feature film, listed above in quotation marks, with the American title in brackets. They are all available on video in both England and the US.

    The X-Files movie plot seems to be a composite of the combined mini-series along with other elements. If you doubt it, rent the films and see! (Quatermass II/Enemy from Space, in particular) Unfortunately there is a precident for this type of 'appropriation' in the film industry: The Lion King was a pretty clear rip-off of Jungle Emperor (Kimba the White Lion), set to music. Most of Quentin Tarantino's better stuff seems to be lifted directly from John Woo's films. I really expected better from Chris."

    [Conspiracy theory submitted by Brian C. Boerner, (Ex)Design Director for The X-Files Comic.]

    May 24, 1998... One of our scoopers would like to point out that the 'Fight the Future' subtitle that we refer to hasn't been officially recognized by Fox as a legitimate subtitle. Of course, that's not stopping us (or the other media outlets) from adpoting it as the film's subtitle. While it can be argued that technically this is the first feature X-Files film and thus no subtitle is required, everytime the picture's logo is shown the tagline/'subtitle' is prominently pictured as well.

    Believe us, people do pay attention to these sort of details. [The matter was brought up by James.]

    Chris Carter is the mysterious someone speaking on the hidden X-Files track at 10 minutes, 13 seconds into the soundtrack's conclusion. [Anonymous.]

    May 28, 1998... The CD soundtrack, out June 2nd, has a red 'X' logo set on a black background on the left-hand side. 'Fight the Future' stretches down the left-hand side. It's beginning to look more and more like a subtitle to us.

    OK, so it was a slow X-Files news day... [Info sent in by 'Trask'.]

    June 2, 1998... The official website now lists Martin Landau as 'Dr. Alvin Kurtzweil' and Armin Mueller-Stahl as 'Conrad Strughold'. It also lists Terry O'Quinn as 'Special Agent-in-Charge Darius Michaud' and Blythe Danner as 'Assitant Director Jana Cassidy', so we're doing the same. New pictures from the film and series characters who are appearing in the film are also up on the site.

    Our mysterious scooper who notified us of the Fox site update also tells us this: Strughold is a German industrialist who lives in Tunisia. He also has a secret (swipe to read it, SPOILER WARNING:)

    He secretly runs the Consortium.

    [Thanks to our anonymous scooper.]

    Hang on to your hat, dear X-Phile. If this scoop is the real deal, it's a MAJOR SPOILER.

    We've just been sent an email that is said to contain the exact words Chris Carter speaks on The X-Files soundtrack; in effect, it's purported to be the entirety of his speech on the hidden track at 10 minutes, 13 seconds past the final song.

    Previously, Fox had said Carter would be speaking about the series' background story. The 'speech' we were sent reveals just who the true players and their goals are, and how the events of the past five years have led Scully and Mulder to this conclusion. If this is legit, in effect, you'll know what the Consortium and the extraterrestrials have been up to on Earth.

    We can't vouch for its authenticity but the scooper claims it's what Carter says on the soundtrack. Swipe below to read what we were sent but beware of POSSIBLE MAJOR SPOILER INFORMATION. We mean it: the secrets will be exposed!

    "'The Method', as they called it, though it was more of a germ-line procedure of singular, medi-scientific complexity, had been given to them by the alien colonists as a quid pro quo. 'The Syndicate' would help them to create a population of alien hybrids who would hide in plain sight, cloned from human ova and alien bio-material, so there would be a clone race, immune to the effects of the black oil when the return to the planet began.

    "For this, 'The Syndicate' would be sequestered, granted a sort of immunity or asylum, given a place in the grander scheme. They were the Vichy Government to the aliens' 'Final Solution' -- collaborationists whose motivation was simple, self-directed survival.

    "These cloning operations were spread across the country, the cataloguing and record-keeping done through a complex, intra-institutional system that connected to every branch of government. From the Social Security Administration to the Department of Defense, the operation, under the working title, 'Purity Control', had been launched in 1948; it's original conception, the brain child of German scientists, given immunity themselves from war crimes, and allowed to continue the Eugenic experiments that were Hitler's dark legacy.

    "'The Syndicate' had begun as a subset of a shadow intelligence agency, whose original orders were to create 'plausible denial' and an effective cover-up of 'Purity Control'. But through 50 years of U.S. and U.N. Administrations, the principles began to wrest control, accumulating power and influence across international borders. That said, by 1990, the operation ceased to have a member accountable to any one government and whose only orders would be taken from a man named, 'Strughold', a German industrialist who had fled his homeland to Northern Africa.

    "These men, whose knowledge and access provided control of a forseeable future had, in spite of this, everything to lose. Their secret work, the cloning preperations and the cataloguing, constituted their greatest vulnerability: EXPOSURE.

    "Their detection would ensure not just their own demise, but a far-reaching disillusion of social and religious order around the globe. To protect against this, 'The Syndicate' employed methods of disinformation, using covert government programs that had been set up as a kind of smoke screen; a dodge or blind where the transgressions of Congress and accountable agencies, served to hide their more odious undertakings.

    "They had even, at times, used the UFO Phenomenon to create a hysteria that science and the intelligencia had denounced so completely, as to make belief and believers seem so ridiculous and completely discreditable.

    "They had also, in a crisis, used a tool of the colonists themselves: alien bounty hunters who policed the cloning operations and enforced the countdown to colonization; a double-edged sword whose cold tactics would help to stem a leak or threat, but who also kept a watch on 'The Syndicate'; a threat in itself, as 'The Syndicate' had something to hide that not even the COLONISTS knew of: a vaccine against the black oil, an innoculant against the substance in which the alien life-force was held; in fact, the very MEDIUM of the life-force itself.

    "To guard this secret was even more critical than the truth of the existence of alien life and of colonization. If The Syndicate's own secret vaccine were discovered, a vaccine that would make them immune to the effects of the black oil, they would certainly be destroyed and the timetable for colonization stepped-up. They would protect this secret with their lives; they would kill to protect it, as it symbolized the only hope they had of avoiding enslavment when the planet was overtaken. That they had been able to, over decades, conduct work on the vaccine undetected was a result of a code among the Syndicate members that put honor and the future above personal politics. But now this code was beginning to break down and insipient scrambling for power began to develop; a threat from within that doubled the threat from without..."

    From Agents Mulder and Scully of the X-Files...

    -- Read by Chris Carter, 'Track 14'.

    [The X-scoop was submitted by 'Trask', with additional fact-checking and assistance provided by 'Frost'.]

    June 7, 1998... We forgot to mention that Noel Gallagher of Oasis fame will also be included on The X-Files soundtrack. ['Danwu' is there for us.]

    BTW, the Carter track transcript has been fixed up by an anonymous friend. And yes, it's also confirmed. [Thanks to anonymous.]

    June 14, 1998... Class, please pay attention to 'Jedi Tim'. He would like to present his information in today's show and tell:

    "On the credits at the back covers of both X-Files movie CDs, it states, '20th Cent. Fox pres. a Ten Thirteen Production DAVID DUCHOVNY GILLIAN ANDERSON "THE X-FILES" and then lists the rest of the credits. This could indicate 'Fight the Future' is a marketing/advertising tagline, not a subtitle to the film.

    Also, in the 3rd Season episode 'Paper Clip', Mulder finds a picture of 10 people including Deep Throat, his father, the Well-Manicured Man, and some Nazi War criminals granted immunity to continue experiments. This picture was taken at the Strughold Mining Complex in West Virginia. This indicates that the plot of Conrad Strughold has been developing for some time."

    Very cool if that is the case. [Thanks to 'Jedi Tim' for the research.]

    We'd like to thank a person out there in the digital ether for sending us a complete copy of the red paged movie script last week. With less than a week to go it's doubtful we'll be able to get a script review online by the time the movie opens but we can lay to rest some of the controversy that's been hounding the film. A minor spoiler warning has to be issued for those who don't want to know even the tiniest piece of knowledge...

    Some secrets are definitely revealed (who runs the Conspiracy, what the black oil truly is) while others are briefly touched upon (where did Samantha Mulder go? What about Scully's cancer?) As for the long-rumored romantic scene between Scully and Mulder, it exists. But untimately it will depend on how Rob Bowman presents the scene to see if X-Philes will buy the situation. On paper it's written in a way where we could see some fans accepting it while others will cringe at the notion of the Agents' developing a romantic relationship. This is really a case where the execution of the idea will decide whether we buy it or not.

    However, we felt the most relief upon reading the scenes where off-the-cuff, zany 'Mulderisms' are said. It's good to know that Carter and co. are still taking their success with their tongues firmly planted in their cheeks. And it was especially pleasing to see Scully pull a Mulderism instead of acting like her serious, down-to-earth self.

    The long and short of it is: while the script doesn't wrap up everything the series has set up for the past five years it does provide a conclusion to some enigmas as well as perhaps setting the stage for a new direction of investigation for Scully and Mulder in season six. We give it an X-Phile thumbs up.

    And an 11th hour scoop seems to confirm our hopes for the movie: the new issue of Newsweek features everyone's favorite paranormal FBI agents on the cover. Inside the mag there's a review of said film, which Newsweek describes as "A Smart, Scary Movie". [Thanks to Zac Gabet for the tip.]

    June 17, 1998... Some of our dear readers lucky enough to catch advance screenings of the picture have sent in their reviews. Great. All we saw this week X-Files-related was a re-run of the Home episode...getting our hands on the red-papered script, that's no prob. Landing tickets to see the show the week it premieres? Man, we suck like an industrial-grade Hoover vacuum in that department.

    "I work at a movie theater, and we held an exibition screening for local movie reviewers in the area last week. Employees aren't supposed to sit in on these howings, but a few other friends and I snuck into the theater at 2 a.m. and ran the movies through. I don't want to give much away (so it will still be a surprise for the true fans of the series), but I will say a few words about it:

    "- I don't watch the series very often, but the movie contained enough background references to give me a good idea of all that was going on.

    "- The movie runs basically like a long episode. The FX are also pretty much the same stock as the TV episodes. The only real deviance I could note is in one scene where Mulder uses the word 'Shit' (this is one of the funnier moments in the film)

    "- The romance between Mulder and Scully makes a pathetic transition to the screen. I'm not a huge fan of the shows or anything, but this scene was unsatisfying for even me. I doubt a true X-Files fan will enjoy this plot turn.

    "- The end is nothing surprising. The rest of the movie is rather good, but by the time the movie ends, I was left saying 'I could've guessed that.'

    "- It ran almost exactly at 2 hours.

    Overall, the movie was rather dissapointing. The first half played out well, good suspense. But then is gets too predictable.

    "I'd give it a hesitant 7 out of 10 rating, because it WAS really good in the beginning. And just for the record, I'm seeing it again tonight at the regular employee sneak, so I guess it's good enough to see twice. Well, for free, anyway."

    [Review handed in by 'The Ripper'.]

    "I just returned from an advanced showing of the new X-Files movie, and I am sorry to say that it was a huge disappointment. I am a fan of the film, and I was looking forward to seeing the movie that was promised by the creative team behind it to answer several of the series long standing questions. However the film was really much ado about nothing to borrow a term from Shakespeare. The first hour of the film is little more than Mulder and Scully running around behind a thin premise. The last half of the film involves a race against time to save the day.

    "The biggest problem I had was that the story was vastly inferior to the high quality shows that are aired each week on TV, and that the special FX were really not that special. There was no big action scene, and the plot of the ongoing alien colonization is even more muddled than before. Only the great chemistry between Duchovny and Anderson make the film watchable at all. When they are on the screen the film can be fun, however, it is mostly a dull uninspired effort that is easily the worst X-Files outing yet. 2 stars out of 5."

    [Review sent in by Gareth Von Kallenbach.]

    "Got lucky and got a pass to the reviewer's screening. The movie was pretty good, on the whole, although it lagged in places. The aliens are damned scary. Lots of digital composite images that look like digital composite images. It's got an annoying habit of leaving our heroes in nasty situations, and then not showing us how they get out of them. The score is excellent. There were some points where people would issue deadpan, serious accusations on-screen (most notably the Dr. Kurtzweiler character played by Martin Landau) and the entire theater busts up laughing." [Hey, FOX! How come someone named 'fahrvergnugen' gets to see the show before us??]

    Cool beans are hereby handed out to Chris Carter for indeed planting the name of the main Conspiracy honcho back in season three. "The June 14th scooper's info about the episode 'Paperclip' mentioning Strughold is correct. I recently viewed the episode again and the picture he refers to is taken infront of Strughold's factory. What the scooper didn't mention is that along with Mulder's father, Deep Throat and The Well Manicured Man, Cancer Man is also pictured, standing next to Mulder's father. Actually, this kind of thing is strewn all through out the first five seasons. I've been watching all the important mythology episodes again in preperation for the movie and there are seeds for the events of the FIGHT THE FUTURE that date all the way back to the first episode. Check them out for yourself, I could hardly believe how intricate it all is!" [They're tapping your phone line, dear reader Mark Stewart.]

    Is the lack of confirmation about the show's alleged sub-title just another one conspiracy from FOX or the mad ramblings of a movie site gone too far?

    Speaking for the Lone Gunmen point-of-view, 'Five Minutes':

    "Last night on MTV, (June 10) at appx. 10:30pm, a commercial aired for The X-Files movie which DID NOT have the 'Fight the Future' subtitle. I dunno, maybe the studio is yankin us around. Maybe it's a conspiracy to keep us from knowing the truth...." [Sent in by a paranoid 'five minutes'.]

    Speaking for the 'drop it and get on with your life' point-of-view, "I believe 'Fight the Future' is an advertising/marketing tagline. My hypothesis has now been confirmed. The newest television spot, at the end, the narrator states, 'The X-Files', and the logo appears, WITHOUT 'Fight the Future' next to it. Afterwards, in the credits, the credits read, 'Twentieth Century Fox.... presents a Ten Thirteen Production....DAVID DUCHOVNY....GILLIAN ANDERSON...'The X-Files' and then lists the rest of the credits, just as the CD cases that I reported earlier." ['Jedi Tim' switches between sci-fi universes in-between coffee breaks.]

    The Tag Line:

    "Fight the future."

    Official Web Site: www.fightthefuture.com

    Related Sites:

    Dean Haglund's Web Page -- Dean Haglund, who portrays Lone Gunman Langly on the show, has his own web page. Here he breaks news about non-spoiler developments on the series and upcoming movie, as well as provides interested viewers with a little more about the actor and his X-Files experiences.

    Ryan's Unofficial The X-Files Movie Page -- Designed with the X-Files fan in mind, this site is devoted to presenting all the facts (Scullys) and rumors (Mulders) associated with the first feature film. Also includes a message board for other X-Philes to get connected with each other. Created by Ryan Salmon.



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