Moviefone Editorial

Tag: dana-walden

  • ‘X-Files’ Season 11 Adds Two Female Writers and Directors

    After getting called out in a major way by none other than star The X-Files” is making some behind the scenes changes, and will include two female writers and two female directors on its upcoming 11th season.

    The news was confirmed during a panel with Fox Television Group chairman and CEO Dana Walden at the Television Critics Association summer press tour on Tuesday. Walden explained that “X-Files” creator and showrunner Chris Carter had already decided to hire the two women writers — who have not yet been identified — before news broke earlier this summer that the show would have an all-male writers’ room for season 11.

    “Two of the 10 episodes will be written by women, and we do have two female directors … so I think Chris is making moves in the right direction,” Walden said. The exec also added an explanation for why Carter had initially hired only men in the first place.

    “I don’t want to make excuses for anyone,” she said. “I want to just explain that after 200 plus episodes of a show that has a very deep and specific mythology — where the fanbase has a very high expectation that the episodes are going to deliver on those easter eggs and be consistent with those original episodes — the tendency is to want to rely on the people [who] helped you on the original, when you’re just doing 10 episodes. And the crew that was with Chris for a very long time happened to be a group of male writers.”

    That doesn’t exactly change the series’s existing reputation as a boys’ club, with only two women directing and six women writing episodes throughout its 200-plus episode run. But at least it’s taking a step in the right direction this time around. Here’s hoping that that imbalance will continue to shrink if the show is renewed for season 12.

    “The X-Files” returns for season 11 sometime in 2018.

    [via: BuzzFeed]

  • ‘The X-Files’ Stars in ‘Significant Talks’ for Season 11, David Duchovny Teases Return

    Fans were elated when Fox revived “The X-Files” earlier this year, though the six new installments of the classic sci-fi series were a mixed bag in terms of quality. Still, it was fun seeing Mulder and Scully back in action, and the ridiculous season 10 cliffhanger certainly left fans wanting more. But will they get it? Fox played it coy when previously discussing the possibility, but execs revealed this week that negotiations are currently ongoing for season 11.

    “We would love to do other seasons,” said Fox Entertainment president David Madden at the Television Critics Association press tour on Monday, adding that he’s been in touch with stars David Duchonvy and Gillian Anderson, as well as series creator Chris Carter. “There are significant talks with all three principals,” Madden said. “We are working hard, and would like to get a new season soon.”

    That hypothetical season 11 would probably be longer than season 10’s six-episode run, though Fox TV Group chairman Dana Walden told the TCA crowd that it wouldn’t be feasible to order a full 22-episode season for the next go-round. What’s more likely is an episode order somewhere between 8 to 10 episodes, according to Walden.

    The execs also addressed the revival’s middling critical reception, defending the new episodes, but also acknowledging that the devotion to mythology after a 15-year gap perhaps hampered the storytelling. That likely will be less of a problem in the future, they said.

    “I actually think the season was strong,” Madden said. “The episodes represent Chris and his team’s vision, and we will take our cue from them.”

    Added Walden, “The show was off the air for a very long time. It was introduced to new viewers, and (the writers) had the challenge of filling in the mythology. Going forward, there won’t be the same obligation to reset the series.”

    Duchonvy also fanned the flames about the revival’s chances, sending a birthday message to Anderson on Twitter on Tuesday that suggested the pair may be reuniting again soon.

    “If you see Dana, tell her Fox says she might wanna polish up the ol’ badge soon-ish,” the actor tweeted to his co-star.

    We’ll keep our fingers crossed that that scenario pans out soon.

    [via: Deadline, David Duchovny]

  • It’s Official: ‘The X-Files’ to Return for 6 Episodes on Fox

    The X-FilesThe internet was abuzz Monday with word that Fox was The X-Files.” On Tuesday, the network made the news official, announcing that the show would be returning with six brand new episodes sometime in the near future.

    The announcement came from “X-Files” creator Chris Carter and Dana Walden and Gary Newman, Chairmen and CEOs of Fox Television Group (and producers of the original series), and touted the return as “the next mind-bending chapter of THE X-FILES,” and “a thrilling, six-episode event series.” Original leads David Duchovny and Gillian Anderson were also confirmed to return as FBI Agents Fox Mulder and Dana Scully.

    Carter called the gap between the new episodes and the series’s 2002 bow “a 13-year commercial break,” and noted, “The good news is the world has only gotten that much stranger, a perfect time to tell these six stories.”

    In a joint statement, Walden and Newman added, “Few shows on television have drawn such dedicated fans as THE X-FILES, and we’re ecstatic to give them the next thrilling chapter of Mulder and Scully they’ve been waiting for.”

    Production is set to begin sometime this summer. According to the release, “Further details remain under wraps and will be announced at a later date.”

    [via: Fox]

    Photo credit: Fox
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  • An ‘Empire’ Concert Series May Be in the Works

    EmpireAs “Empire” continues its jaw-dropping ratings dominance, Fox is considering taking the show on the road.

    Entertainment Weekly reports that the network behind the music business drama is mulling a plan to launch a series of shows featuring the “Empire”‘s stable of performers and original songs, similar to what it did with the “Glee” concert tour. According to Dana Walden, co-chair and co-CEO of Fox Television Group, executives are eager to cash in on “Empire”‘s ratings success while keeping the show’s integrity intact.

    “We are thinking about what the future is of the brand,” Walden told EW. “What we learned on ‘Glee’ and what we tried to do on ‘Glee’ is be very cognizant that the music business is the tail of this dog-the show is the thing. But we are certainly looking down the line. There’s no reason not to think of having all sorts of ancillary opportunities with this show. We’re certainly thinking about idea of doing a live concert series.”

    That’s good news for fans who can’t get enough of the drama, which stars Terrence Howard and Taraji P. Henson. And it seems that viewers truly can’t get enough: Its audience has grown in each of its seven weeks on the air, an unheard of phenomenon in today’s withering ratings landscape. (EW also reports that the show’s most recent episode — which notched 13.8 million viewers and a 5.3 rating among adults 18-49 — was the highest-rated drama on a broadcast network since an episode of “Grey’s Anatomy” in 2010.)

    This plan isn’t definitive just yet, but it makes sense in terms of branding, and connecting with potentially even more fans. We’d tell you to stay tuned, but judging by the above numbers, it seems like you probably already are.

    [via: Entertainment Weekly]

    Photo credit: Michael Lavine/FOX
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