The ’90s sci-fi franchise that terrified a generation with its mind-bending horror spawned The X-Files: I Want to Believe in 2008, and it may now return in its scariest form yet. The 2008 film could arrive on Disney this year, this time with the long-discussed director’s cut. The film’s director, Chris Carter, has spoken much about working on the director’s cut of the movie. 

As hinted by the recent lineup of films and shows set to arrive on Disney, speculation around the possible release has only grown stronger than ever before.

As per a Disney+ press release previewing upcoming titles, one title was The X-Files: I Want to Believe – Director’s Cut | Bonus Feature. This indicates that the long-discussed director’s version of the 2008 movie could finally be released, although further details about the format have not yet been revealed. Since the press release covers titles arriving in June, the film could potentially debut on Disney on Thursday, June 11, 2026.

After the franchise’s successful 1998 film, The X-Files: I Want to Believe was released in 2008. But what is intriguing is that the DVD and Blu-ray versions reportedly included a few scenes that were not featured in the theatrical release. But even those scenes did not make the true director’s cut version of the movie. 

So, there is much to look forward to if Disney were to release the Director’s cut of the movie. Earlier, during an appearance on the Fail Better With David Duchovny last year, director Chris Carter spoke about the movie and alluded that he had started his work on the director’s cut. He also explained how several scenes from the film had originally been cut.

“I made it too scary, basically, and I was told so by the brass at Fox, and they wanted a PG-13 movie. So we cut it back to be a PG-13 movie, and we thought, ‘Okay, we’ve satisfied their demands.’ The critics, the people who rate the movies, said ‘No, it’s not a PG-13 yet, you’ve got to cut it back even farther,’” he shared.

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More details about the Director’s Cut of The X-Files: I Want to Believe are expected to be revealed soon when Disney+ announces its June lineup, but fans may have to wait much longer for the other The X-Files reboot.

Ryan Coogler is all set to direct Hulu’s reboot of The X-Files. The series will follow two different FBI agents, played by Himesh Patel and Danielle Deadwyler, who are assigned to investigate unexplained paranormal cases. Coogler is writing and directing the pilot episode, and he is also the executive producer on the project. The reboot is currently in development.

Apart from Patel and Deadwyler, new names to join the show have surfaced. Steve Buscemi, Ben Foster, Amy Madigan and Devery Jacobs are the expected to join the show as guest stars. And Chris Carter who is also behind the original X-Files, is attached as an executive producer alongside showrunner Jennifer Yale. As of now, an official release date has not yet been announced.

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What do you think about the director's cut for The X-Files: I Want to Believe? Share your take.