I want to believe, too!

The title for the second installment in the X-Files film franchise has been released: I Want to Believe. Further details show that the film will not be about alien encounters but rather a "stand-alone, earth-bound story".

I can appreciate this approach, but at the same time, something just seems missing without Mulder and Scully trying to battle aliens. This was really the crux of the show, and the first film dealt with that story angle beautifully (and was smart enough to let the TV series reach its own natural conclusion five seasons later). With the show's dark yet slightly hopeful finale, the next logical step would be for Mulder and Scully to continue as the outlaws they've become, searching for ways to stop the upcoming invasion of earth. Because with the Syndicate destroyed and Cancer Man turned into charcoal, all earthly ambassadors who even know about the invasion have been wiped from the scene, so Mulder and Scully are truly humanity's last hope.

This strikes me as the perfect groundwork for an X-Files sequel, and I find myself wondering why Chris Carter isn't pursuing this path.

Though upon reflection, I have to wonder if a third film is planned, one that does explore Mulder and Scully trying to prevent the invasion. If so, the perfect release date would be December 22, 2012.

An X-Files sequel!

It's apparently official: The X-Files, that fabulous TV series from the '90s about the paranormal, is going to film a sequel to its 1998 feature film! Production starts on December 10.

While I'm not displeased by this bit of news, it does puzzle me, mostly because a) when it gets released, it'll be 10 years (almost to the day!) since the original feature film, The X-Files: Fight the Future, premiered in theaters, b) the show's been out of syndication since 2002, and c) when taken together, I have to wonder if anyone's going to be flocking to the theaters to see this. I mean, while it does have a fan following, it's not exactly a hot commodity anymore.

I've been making these same points about the upcoming Star Trek prequel and Indy 4 for some time now—though despite my qualms about all three movies, I'll still probably end up seeing them in the theaters.