Script co-writer Frank Spotnitz has stated that The X-Files: I Want to Believe is really an intellectual horror film. Plot points are being kept vague, but the upcoming sequel is a stand-alone story that takes the characters of Dana Scully and Fox Mulder on “a manhunt with supernatural overtones.” The tone for the film is set by Scully and Mulder.

"Mulder and Scully are so smart, it forces you to be as smart as you can possibly be to keep up with them. That's what's great about this audience is they are smart as well. Not to pander shamelessly, but it's true. It has to be an intellectual investigation just because of the nature of these two characters. One is a believer, and one is a skeptic, so it's built into the concept. That's what I love about The X-Files. It works on two levels. It works as a popcorn entertainment with creepy, scary stuff, but then it's always got ideas. It has to. It can't help but have ideas. So there's something to think about after you leave if you so choose…It was hard to actually come up with a story that wasn't like anything we've done in 202 hours of the show and that was also going to be really cool and scary and all those other things. Once we had that, the X-File part of it was easy."

Those looking for resolution to certain ongoing storylines or arcs shouldn’t expect any kind of answers or closures, though. Spotnitz had this to say:

"I think if you're a fan, there are going to be things…that have a lot of resonance to you, that make sense to a new audience but are going to be deeper for old fans.”

The movie stars Amanda Peet, Xzibit, and Billy Connolly. It was directed by Chris Carter from a story and script by Chris Carter and Frank Spotnitz. 20th Century Fox is distributing and it will hit theaters on July 25th.

Source: Los Angeles Film Festival