Aug-02-2012
Writer/Producer Frank Spotnitz Talks His Desire to Make a Third X-FILES Movie and the Possibility of a MILLENNIUM Movie
Collider.com
Christina Radish
The X-Files writer/producer Frank Spotnitz has created the compelling eight-episode international espionage series Hunted for Cinemax, to premiere on October 26th. The story follows Sam Hunter (Melissa George), a skilled operative for Byzantium, a secretive private firm involved in global intelligence and espionage, that may have personally been responsible for orchestrating an attempt on her life, leaving her with no idea who to trust.
While at the TCA Press Tour, Collider spoke to Frank Spotnitz for this exclusive interview. We will run what he had to say about that series closer to its premiere, but we did want to share what his comments about whether he still wants to do a third The X-Filesmovie, why it would be a cultural crime not to finish the series, how it would need to happen pretty soon, and what he’s most happy about when he looks back at his work on the series and movies. He also talked about what it might take for a Millennium movie to happen. Check out what he had to say after the jump.
Collider: Do you feel like you’ve closed the book now on The X-Files, or is there still another chapter to tell there? Do you still want to do a third movie?
FRANK SPOTNITZ: I absolutely do! I think everybody should write to 20th Century Fox. I’ve been saying for years now that I feel it’s a cultural crime that they have not finished the series. The second movie did not perform the way anybody wanted it to at the box office. I’m proud of that movie, but it makes sense to me that it didn’t. It was released at the height of summer, and it was a story-of-the-week. That’s not what the movie-going audience wanted. The movie-going audience wanted the aliens. That’s what they know The X-Files for. And that story is not done, and it should be finished. I don’t think it’s too late, but I think it’s gonna be, pretty soon. I’m still agitating with everyone I can grab to say, “Let’s make this movie while we still can!”
When you look back at the time you spent making the show and the movies, what are you happiest about, and are there things you still wish you could go back and change?
SPOTNITZ: Oh, yeah, always! Unfortunately, my personality is that way. It’s true with Hunted, too. I’m like, “Oh, that’s good, but this wasn’t good enough.” I just look to what I consider failures. Other people might be like, “Oh, that was great,” but I’ll be like, “No, to me, that was not.” I’m sure with The X-Files, there are plenty of things that I wish had been better. But, The X-Files was the central experience of my professional life. It was my first job in television. It taught me everything that I’ve taken with me since, and it was a huge success. I just feel so blessed to have something like that in my life. How many people get to be a part of something like that? I really made a lot of close friendships, with Chris Carter and Vince Gilligan, and I’m still friends with a lot of the actors. I still see Gillian [Anderson] and talk to David [Duchovny]. It’s a treasure and a blessing to have something like that.
Lance Henriksen recently talked about his desire to make a Millennium movie. Is that something you’d like to go back and revisit?
SPOTNITZ: I would! It’s a harder case to make for Millennium because Millennium was one of those shows that was a critical darling, but never found the mass audience that it deserved. But, I get asked about that. There are amazing fans for both series. The Millennium guys are publishing a book this summer. They’re really clever about trying to make this happen. If they knocked on my door and we could do it, I would absolutely do it, but it’s a tough sell.
Tags: frank spotnitz, millennium, x-files, xf3