The X-Files may be about weekly monsters and/or a government conspiracy to join with aliens to inflict black goop on humanity. But it was really about the relationship between the two leads. David Duchovny played Fox Mulder as a slovenly, low-energy true believer, a man used to being pushed to the corners as he continues investigating the paranormal. Conversely, Gillian Anderson played Dana Scully as an intelligent and professional scientist, whose deep religious faith did not prevent her from being skeptical about Mulder’s claims.
We know that the upcoming Hulu relaunch of The X-Files from director Ryan Coogler and showrunner Jennifer Yale will not feature new versions of Mulder and Scully. But the show’s latest casting announcement suggests that some of that original dynamic will be retained, as Himesh Patel will costar alongside the previously-announced Danielle Deadwyler.
As an English actor, Patel unsurprisingly got his start on EastEnders, appearing in 566 episodes as Tamwar Masood. However, most Americans first noticed him as Jack Malik, the only man who remembered the Beatles in the Danny Boyle comedy Yesterday. Yesterday may have met with mixed reviews, but Patel won viewers over with his gentle, likable take on a musician who just got the biggest break of all time. Patel has brought that same warmth to his later roles, as affable agent Mahir in Christopher Nolan‘s Tenet and as beleaguered director Daniel Kumar on the HBO series The Franchise.
Patel’s low on-screen energy will pair nicely with his co-star Danielle Deadwyler, who tends to project quiet intensity. In films such as Till and in the HBO series Station Eleven, in which she co-starred with Patel, Deadwyler plays characters who are serious and determined, even when at odds with potential allies.
