Among the many colorful supporting characters on “The X-Files,” few received quite the same level of attention as The Lone Gunmen who, having appeared in all nine seasons of the show’s original run, also had their own single season spinoff series. A trio of conspiracy theory driven “hacktivists,” the group consisted of Langly (Dean Haglund), Frohike (Tom Braidwood) and Byers (Bruce Harwood), all of whom were killed off in one of the final “X-Files” episodes, “Jump the Shark”. Now, 13 years after that episode aired, Haglund confirms to Televised Revolution that the Lone Gunmen will return.
“Today they contacted us,” Haglund announced to a crowd in Sydney, Australia. “We’re shooting July 28. The Gunmen are in the final six!”
Now Many TV fans think the Gunman are dead! But for fans reading IDW’s “The X-Files: Season Ten” comic books may not be quite so surprised that reports of the Gunmen’s demise have been greatly exaggerated. It was revealed during the run that the trio is actually alive and well. Whether or not that specific twist to the continuity will tie in any way to the new series, however, remains to be seen. After all, “The X-Files” has found other ways to bring back actors after their characters’ onscreen deaths. Even the Lone Gunmen themselves managed to appear in the show’s final episode, “The End”.
“The X-Files” originally premiered on FOX in September 1993. Over the course of its nine-season run, the influential series went from breakout sci-fi favorite to massive global hit, and became one of the most successful television dramas of all time. The show, which earned 16 Emmy Awards, five Golden Globes and a Peabody Award, follows FBI special agents Scully (Gillian Anderson) and Mulder (David Duchovny) as they investigate unexplained cases – “X-Files” – for which the only answers involve paranormal phenomena.
Anderson and Duchovny are both slated to reprise their roles alongisde Mitch Pileggi returning as Walter Skinner and William B. Davis coming back as the Cigarette-Smoking Man. Confirmed guest stars include Annet Mahendru (“Homeland”), Joel McHale (“Community”), Lauren Ambrose (“Six Feet Under”), Robbie Amell (“The Flash”) and Kumail Nanjiani (“Silicon Valley”).
