CON: X-Files 2

Fans were delirious with applause during this past Saturday’s WonderCon panel for X-FILES 2, as David Duchovny, Gillian Anderson, co-writer/director Chris Carter, and co-writer Frank Spotnitz arrived on stage and showed off some footage from the film.

Nothing too elaborate. Basically just a teaser.

Trailer – Dozens of FBI agents walk in a horizontal line across the snow while poking at the ground. Meanwhile, a crazy-haired Billy Connelly rushes in front and chants, “It’s here…! It’s here…!” Then there are various shots of Mulder being Mulder, Scully being Scully, some lady in a nightgown getting pulled across the ice, Mulder’s car getting smashed by another car, various characters running toward and past the camera, an old dude seizuring on the ground, a bald man bleeding from scratches on his face, FBI agents digging a hole in the snow… and finally, the agents crowd around a cleared section of ice, looking inside. The release date fades on screen: July 25, 2008.

Here’s the leaked footage (courtesy of MovieWeb):

• When asked why the movie was worth the wait, Carter gave a half-hearted response: “Because it will scare the pants off you… Because you get to see Mulder and Scully again, in a whole new way. That’s why.”
• Carter said that he wants to make more X-FILES movies “right away.”
• Mark Snow is doing the music. Fans can rest easy.
• The film is still currently shooting. The cast/crew flew over after filming all night to do the WonderCon panel.
• Amanda Peet plays FBI agent Dakota Whitney.
• The filmmakers chose to do a stand-alone movie for the sequel (instead of continuing the story) because the TV show isn’t running anymore, and it gave them a lot of freedom.
• There will a secret appearance in the movie by a recurring character on the show. “Nobody’s really ever dead on The X-Files,” says Carter.
• Anderson had trouble getting back into the part, because she had spent so much time trying to avoid playing Scully over and over again.
• Anderson’s favorite episode is Bad Blood.

X-FILES clearly has its fanbase, which, based on the response to the sequel’s panel at WonderCon, would appear to still be very active. I, meanwhile, found myself underwhelmed by the presentation, both by the footage as well as Duchovny’s and Anderson’s general lack of enthusiasm for making another movie. Still, not enough has been shown yet to make a fully informed decision on whether or not the movie will be any good.