Ryan Coogler’s “The X-Files” reboot has locked down its dynamic duo.
Himesh Patel (“Station Eleven”) will star as the male lead in the Hulu reboot of the beloved ’90s sci-fi series, Variety reports. He joins Danielle Deadwyler in the cast, but to be clear, they are not playing Fox Mulder and Dana Scully, the characters played by David Duchovny and Gillian Anderson in the original “X-Files.” Instead, they’ll play “two highly decorated but vastly different FBI agents” who “form an unlikely bond when they are assigned to a long-shuttered division devoted to cases involving unexplained phenomena,” per the official description.
Coogler — fresh off an Oscar win for best original screenplay for his vampire hit “Sinners” — will write and direct the pilot, with Jennifer Yale (“Outlander”) serving as showrunner. Hulu ordered a pilot for the reboot in February.
“The X-Files” debuted on Fox in 1993, starring Duchovny and Anderson, and became a cultural sensation, running for nine seasons and spinning off into two big-screen movies. Duchovny, Anderson, and series creator Chris Carter returned for a 2016 revival on Fox, which ran for an additional two seasons. Carter will serve as an executive producer on the Hulu reboot; Duchovny and Anderson are not currently attached to the pilot, but Anderson has sung the praises of Coogler in the past.
Patel’s casting reunites him with Deadwyler, with the two co-starring together in the HBO Max post-apocalyptic sci-fi series “Station Eleven.” (Patel earned an Emmy nod for that series.) His other TV credits include “The Franchise” and “Avenue 5.”
In other casting news…
* The CBS hit “Tracker” has promoted Chris Lee (aka tech nerd Randy) to series regular, Deadline reports. Lee joined the series as Randy in Season 2 and fills the void left by the departure of cast member Eric Graise, who played Bobby, ahead of Season 3.
* Damson Idris (“Snowfall”) will star in the Netflix thriller “The Lord’s Day,” according to Variety. He’ll play British spy Harry Jones, who finds himself trapped inside Parliament during a lockdown: “As the siege escalates, loyalties are tested and selfless sacrifices are made, leading to a desperate fight for survival where not everyone will emerge alive. Can Harry use his skills and training to be the country’s saviour?”
* Prime Video’s “God of War” adaptation has added Sonya Walger (“Lost”) to its cast; she’ll recur as Odin’s ex-wife Freya, “a Vanir goddess and princess who practices powerful, ancient magic.”
* The NBC drama pilot “Protection,” starring Peter Krause and Hope Davis, has added Taylor Bloom (“American Horror Story”) to its cast, per Variety. He’ll play Russ Thornhill, “a former Marine now working at the Department of Justice” who “is idealistic, trusting and believes in the good of people.”
* The Prime Video thriller “Bishop,” starring Joel Kinnaman and John Malkovich, has added Harry Treadaway (“Penny Dreadful”) to its cast, according to Deadline. He’ll play a character named Wyatt.