The phenomenal ‘90s drama series The X-Files is reportedly getting a reboot from Black Panther director Ryan Coogler. The legendary show became a worldwide phenomenon in the 90s due to its blend of investigative drama with supernatural elements. The show also skyrocketed actors Gillian Anderson and David Duchovny to global stardom.

While the new reboot is still in development, original creator Chris Carter mentioned how difficult it was for him to mount the show. He recalled an instance where he had to fight for Anderson to be a part of the series as the Fox Network preferred someone who would fit in their idea of s*x appeal. The network reportedly wanted someone like Pamela Anderson for the role of Dana Scully.

The Fox Network Did Not Want Gillian Anderson For The X-Files

A still from X-Files

Creator and showrunner Chris Carter reportedly got the idea to develop a show based on conspiracy theories and the supernatural when he read an article that said over 3.7 million Americans believed that they had been abducted by aliens. Carter, who had been working with Walt Disney Pictures at the time, reportedly pitched The X-Files to Fox Network after developing a pilot based on such claims (via EW).

Carter will reportedly not be involved in the upcoming reboot by Ryan Coogler. In a recent art exhibition consisting of the works by Carter, some memorabilia of The X-Files, including his audition notes, were reportedly displayed. Chris Carter mentioned to Inverse that he was immediately convinced by David Duchovny’s performance and had written a ‘yes’ next to his name.

However, the part of Dana Scully was reportedly more difficult. The creator mentioned that the studio wanted someone more traditionally s*xually appealing as Agent Fox Mulder’s partner instead of Gillian Anderson. He said,

“For Gillian, I wrote ‘Test,’ which means I wanted to take her before the studio and the network…Even though Gillian’s beautiful, she wasn’t their idea of sexy. First, because they didn’t understand what I was trying to do with the show. And she was an unknown so that never helps.”

The studio reportedly wanted to capitalize on the success of s*xually appealing shows such as Baywatch and actually eyed Pamela Anderson for the role of Dana Scully. However, the other Anderson prevailed when Chris Carter stood his ground and convinced Fox to go ahead with the Sex Education star.

Gillian Anderson And The Dana Scully Effect

Gillian Anderson as Dana Scully in The X-Files

Christ Carter’s The X-Files became an extremely popular series in the ‘90s and early 2000s. The show is credited with being one of the first shows to develop a strong fandom due to the Internet (via The Age). Fans of the show, who were known as the X-Philes, reportedly shipped Dana Scully and Fox Mulder and even wrote fan fiction based on the couple (via Metro Active).

One of the most alluring phenomena that occurred with the popularity of the show was ‘The Scully Effect’. Gillian Anderson’s portrayal of Dana Scully reportedly became a role model to women pursuing the STEM fields due to the character’s medical and federal background. The character reportedly inspired many women to pursue the field, which was largely dominated by men.

According to All That’s Interesting, Scully’s independence and intelligence made her a ‘pop culture patron saint’ for women studying in the STEM field. Anderson reportedly mentioned at Comic-Con that she was proud of ‘The Scully Effect’ and recounted how she would get many letters that spoke about the fans’ decision to pursue the field. She said,

“It was a surprise to me, when I was told that. We got a lot of letters all the time, and I was told quite frequently by girls who were going into the medical world or the science world or the FBI world or other worlds that I reigned, that they were pursuing those pursuits because of the character of Scully. And I said, ‘Yay!’”

The show is also notably an inspiration to many popular shows that came after including Lost, Breaking Bad, Supernatural, and Gravity Falls.