It should be no surprise that "The X-Files" is undergoing some paranormal activity on its journey from hit TV show to feature film.
The 1997-98 season's finale cliffhanger will be followed, not by the usual two-part solution in fall '98, but next summer, transformed into the marketing bonanza of a big sci-fi event film.
About 18 million to 20 million viewers tune in to Fox TV's weekly saga of TV FBI agents Fox Mulder and Dana Scully, who skulk around seeking the truth in what are usually mysterious events. Should that audience tune in for the pre-summer '98 cliffhanger, 20th Century Fox, the network's sister studio, is banking on a blockbuster bow. At an average of $4.50 a ticket, 18 million viewers could mean a box-office gross of $81 million. (And in many cities, including Los Angeles, tickets cost up to $8.) Even better, Fox estimates there are about 30 million "X-Files" fans worldwide.
Tom Rothman, head of production at the Fox studio, declined to talk specifics about the movie or Fox's expectations, except to note that it would definitely be a "worldwide event movie." Executives at the Fox network wouldn't comment either.
But some of the hush-hush details have begun to surface. Fox hopes "X-Files" will be its first event film of the summer, a strong jump-start for the season, say exhibitors. The other event films will likely be "Godzilla" from TriStar, "Superman 5" and "Speed Racer" from Warner Bros., "Mission: Impossible 2" and "Indiana Jones 4" from Paramount, "Return of Planet of the Apes" from Fox and the animated "The Legend of Mulan" from Disney.
But studio and TV show executives know the pressure to get the "X-Files" movie to the big screen by next summer is taxing the show's stars, David Duchovny and Gillian Anderson, as well as the creative team and crew. Even worse, the show's creator and executive producer, Chris Carter, who wrote and is producing the movie, has said he plans to leave the TV show after the '97-98 season, ending a five-season run. (Duchovny and Anderson are obligated to another year under their six-year contracts.)
Carter also decided not to direct the film. Rob Bowman, who has directed several episodes of the TV show, is at the helm. Carter, still working on the TV set in Vancouver (this season's finale airs Sunday), declined to be interviewed as he was polishing up the movie script that begins production there June 16.
