Frank Spotnitz Blames X-Files Movie Failure on Batman

I have to admit, I was somewhat excited about the X-Files movie when it was first announced, especially with both Gillian Anderson and David Duchovney returning as Scully and Mulder, respectively. And then the movie’s promo campaigns started, and what I was seeing — well, look, there’s a reason the movie stunk up the box office. It just wasn’t The X-Files that I remembered, or indeed, a lot of other people remembered and wanted. Where were my alien conspiracies? Government cover-ups? Misunderstood mutants? None of that. Just a lame serial killer movie on snow. Blah. It was like Chris Carter set out to make an X-Files movie for everyone but the fans. Anyways, according to the film’s producer Frank Spotnitz, you can blame the movie’s failure on “The Dark Knight”, and not on, you know, a stupid movie title and a generally generic serial killer storyline.

Spotnitz tells Bloody-Disgusting.com this:

“We were all a bit disappointed, we had some indication that we were in for a rough time when THE DARK KNIGHT started to become the phenomenon that it is, and breaking records. THE DARK KNIGHT is a history making film at the box office, and we came out with our little dark film a week after. It was disappointing to be sure. But the film made something like 20 million domestically and close to 50 million overseas. That is very telling about what is happening in the domestic marketplace.”

On a possible, discussed sequel:

“The studio has not indicated another one yet, but there certainly is an audience for it. I think what happened this past summer was a function of bad luck and bad timing with the release. These movies cost a lot of money, not just to make but to market them as well. When the studio looks at the sales of the DVD that’s when they will really decide to see if its worth risking. There is still a lot of love with 20th Century Fox, as well as with the fans.”

Okay, so if there is a sequel, what would it be about? Alien colonization, says Spotnitz:

“If we were to do one more movie, I think it pretty obviously would have to deal with Alien Colonization.” He continues, “In the series we say its coming in 2012, I honestly think that that is the movie that the fans are most eager to see. [That] would be the one I would want to make. For me I think its pretty integral to the series to make tell that story. With I WANT TO BELIEVE, we were un-teathered by the TV show, we could tell any story we want. If you are a fan of the show, you know that about 80% of the stories do NOT have anything to do with aliens; they were stand alone scary stories. This movie was more about the relationship between Mulder and Scully, and not so much about the X-File.”

Yeah, Frank, that’s the ticket.

Below: “Hey, Scully, you smell that? What’s Frank going on about again?”