Fans of The X-Files have been waiting a long time to see Chris Carter’s original vision for the film, The X-Files: I Want to Believe, and it’s finally happening.
After months of vague teases and a quiet delay, the R-rated director’s cut is officially heading to streaming next month. Along with the release date, though, comes one very unexpected surprise… a completely new title.
Disney has announced that the “never-before-seen R-rated Chris Carter Director’s Cut” will debut on Hulu and Disney+ on August 14, depending on your region and streaming bundle. According to the announcement, this version is intended to “faithfully restore the filmmaker’s original vision.”
Curiously, it won’t simply arrive under its original name. Instead, the movie has been retitled The X-Files: I Want to Believe Vrach Frankenshteyn.
It’s definitely an odd choice, but there is at least some logic behind it. “Vrach Frankenshteyn” is a reference to Victor Frankenstein in Russian, and anyone who remembers the 2008 film probably recalls that it had very little to do with aliens.
Instead, the story revolved around gruesome organ harvesting used to keep one character alive in a very Frankenstein-inspired way. The movie also included a subplot involving abusive priests that many fans felt weighed down the story. It’ll be interesting to see whether Carter’s new cut trims or reshapes those elements.
The existence of this version was first revealed last year when Carter appeared on David Duchovny’s podcast. Speaking about revisiting the film, Carter explained that the new cut gave him the opportunity to “make the scary movie that I always intended.”
That certainly sounds promising considering how the theatrical version was received. Upon its release in 2008, I Want to Believe struggled with both critics and audiences and currently holds a disappointing 32% score on Rotten Tomatoes.
Whether this restored cut can change fans’ opinions remains to be seen, but longtime X-Files devotees will finally get the chance to judge Carter’s preferred version for themselves.
Meanwhile, the X-Files franchise is preparing for another return. Following the revival seasons featuring Mulder and Scully, Ryan Coogler is developing a brand-new reboot of the iconic sci-fi series.
Production recently wrapped on the pilot episode, with Himesh Patel and Danielle Deadwyler leading the cast. An official premiere date hasn’t been announced yet, but it’s another sign that The X-Files is far from finished.
If you’ve always wondered whether I Want to Believe could’ve been a stronger film with fewer studio compromises, you’ll finally get your answer when The X-Files: I Want to Believe Vrach Frankenshteyn begins streaming on Hulu and Disney+ on August 14.
