The New Year begins with some unfortunate news for fans of The X-Files. According to Screen Rant, lead actress Gillian Anderson has confirmed that she will be leaving the FOX sci-fi series after the upcoming season 11.
Anderson first hinted that she would be departing the series back in October during the New York Comic Con. “No, no, I think this will be it for me,” she told fans this past fall when asked if she would return for more seasons in the future. Still, fans have been holding out hope that the actress would change her mind with time.
But Anderson has doubled down on her thoughts in a recent interview. She said once again that she will be leaving after season 11 and even expressed her surprise at fans’ reactions to the news. “I’ve said from the beginning this is it for me,” Anderson said. “I was a bit surprised by people’s [shocked] reaction to my announcement…because my understanding was that this was a single season.”
This does not necessarily mean that The X-Files is over for good, however. Creator Chris Carter has indicated that he intends to do a season 12 – and perhaps even more. “There are a lot more X-Files stories to tell. Whether we get to tell them is a question mark,” he said in the same interview where Anderson confirmed her departure.
The future of The X-Files is in FOX’s hands. The network will simply have to decide if the classic sci-fi series can survive without Dana Scully.
Season 11 of The X-Files premieres January 3 at 8pm EST on FOX.