Comic Con: The X-Files Celebrates 20 Years of Spookiness.

An adoring crowd (some of whom camped out overnight) packed into Ballroom 20 to show their continued devotion to The X-Files. It's already hard to believe that it's been 20 years since we first met FBI agents Fox Mulder and Dana Scully, and the agelessness of David Duchovny and Gillian Anderson only made it more so. The panel yielded plenty of laughs, but those seeking information about a possible third X-Files movie were left with merely a few coy teases from series creator Chris Carter. But really, what better way to celebrate The X-Files than with a frustrating lack of answers?

The panel included the men behind all your favorites episodes: Darin Morgan, his brother Glen Morgan, James Wong, David Amann, John Shiban and two men who were nominated for Emmy's this morning, Howard Gordon (Homeland) and Vince Gilligan (Breaking Bad). Gilligan stated that he learned everything he knew about writing and producing for television from his time on The X-Files, and spoke about meeting Bryan Cranston for the first time when he guest-starred in the Season 5 standout, "Drive."

The groundbreaking nature of the show was discussed at length. The X-Files was an unlikely hit that demonstrated to network suits that a "genre" series could be a mainstream success. The infamous Morgan and Wong episode "Home" pushed the limits of horror on network television, and the Dana Scully character prompted countless women to pursue careers in science as well as law enforcement.

The panel was extremely playful, getting a lot of mileage out of Darin Morgan's acting turn as the notorious "Flukeman" in "The Host" and Mulder and Scully's "did they or didn't they?" off-camera coupling. When Anderson insisted they did because they had a child, John Shiban brought out his son, now a teenager, who played baby William. Anderson was teased for her inability to remember many specifics about the show while Duchovny beat himself up when he couldn't come up with the name of the villain from "Paper Hearts" (Roche, for those keeping score at home).

The moderator started things off by asking about the possibility of a third film. When Chris Carter asked for that discussion to end the panel, I doubt I was alone in having my hopes raised for a monster announcement to cap off the celebration. But while Duchovny, Anderson and Carter all expressed their desire to make more movies, it seems there's nothing concrete to report at this time. A little disappointing perhaps, but not enough to ruin the festive mood. The truth is, the fans are still out there.

Source : feeds[dot]ign[dot]com