Gillian Anderson is officially calling it quits on ‘The X-Files’ and ‘American Gods’…
If ‘The X-Files’ moves on past season 11, it will be without Agent Dana Scully.
Gillian Anderson has officially shut the door on returning to the long running sci-fi series after the 10 episodes season wraps up on FOX later this year.
“It’s time for me to hang up Scully’s hat. It just is,” Anderson said during the Television Critics Association meeting on Wednesday. “I’m finished, and that’s the end of that.”
Anderson had previously teased that she wasn’t planning on returning to ‘The X-Files’ if the series continued past season 11, which just debuted last week, but now she’s officially calling it quits on a character she first originated all the way back in 1993.
In addition to Anderson exiting ‘The X-Files’, she’s also confirmed that she will no longer be appearing on the Starz series ‘American Gods’ after playing a pivotal role in the first season of the show last year.
“I’m not doing any more American Gods. Bryan [Fuller] and Michael Green aren’t either, as has been announced,” Anderson said.
Bryan Fuller and Michael Green were the show runners for ‘American Gods’ season one but in a shocking move late last year, the pair ended up leaving the series all together. Now it seems Anderson will follow them out the door after budget cuts on the series led to a split with the show runners.
As for ‘The X-Files’ continuing without Anderson, that remains to be seen.
Show creator Chris Carter has been hesitant to commit to anything past season 11 and with Anderson now leaving the role, it’s tough to imagine ‘The X-Files’ without her. As for David Duchovny, who has played her partner Fox Mulder since the inception of the series, he seems to be on the fence on whether or not the show could survive without Anderson.
“I’ve tried to say goodbye to Fox Mulder many times and I failed,” Duchovny said. “And they all went and did the show without me, so how do you like that? I’m feeling pretty pissed off, now that I remember.”
As of now, ‘The X-Files’ is only slated for the 10 episodes in season 11 with no commitment from FOX beyond what’s already been scheduled. Add to that, FOX is still undergoing an upheaval after the majority of the company was sold to Disney with that deal still facing approval over the next 12 to 18 months.
