As he was slated to, Frank Spotnitz did an AMA on Reddit this morning. If you're not familiar with Reddit, an AMA is an "Ask Me Anything" thread, often times done by celebrities for fans to ask questions. He took questions for a few hours, and there were some great discussions. Don't worry about missing it though, because you can review all the questions and answers here.
If scrolling through hundreds of comments isn't your thing though, below are some of the most interesting questions and answers. Click read more to check them out. Though there are some great small moments in the actual AMA you might enjoy.
Will XF3 be made: I hope so!! I have been campaigning for the movie, behind the scenes and in public, since the last movie opened in 2008. I continue to believe there's a really powerful creative and commercial argument for it. I'm terribly frustrated that the studio hasn't moved forward, but I believe they will, sooner or later. I would love to be involved in it, for sure, but more than anything I just want to see it made!
It's hard to tell if there's any movement. I keep lobbying all relevant parties, but there's nothing concrete I can tell you about (yet).
What will Philes like about Hunted: They're different shows, of course, but I think X-Files fans will recognize the same kind of storytelling. It's very tense, paranoid (Trust no one!), visual and (hopefully) smart.
The best and worst days working on The X-Files: The hardest day on The X-Files was for sure the day in January 2002 when Chris decided to bring the show to a close. It was not just ending the series, it was separating a family that had been together a very long time. There were so many good days, but I'd say the highest point for me was the day the first X-Files movie opened. We drove from theatre to theatre and saw people screaming at Mulder & Scully's (near) kiss. It doesn't get better than that!
On working for the BBC: Working for the BBC has been one of the greatest honors of my career, but television production in the UK is very, very different. The whole system is simply not designed or intended to returning series of the size and budget of Hunted. Nor does the role of a "showrunner" exist in this country. It's been challenging, for sure, but it's been a real pleasure working with so many talented and dedicated people.
The XF3 campaign and William: I think there have been some amazing campaigns spearheaded by the folks at Xfilesnews.com. They've certainly got the attention of the studio, and I'd keep that up. The decision to give up William for adoption was the hardest thing Mulder & Scully ever had to do, but I'm sure the question you raise -- as well as alien colonization -- would figure in the third movie.
The music in Hunted: I'm so glad! The score is by the amazing Ruth Barrett, and she is brilliant. I can't tell you what a challenging show this was to write music for. Ruth met that challenge, and brought all kinds of interesting instrumentation and textures to the score. I think she's one of the great heroes of the show.
The biggest flaw in the Mythology: Well, I'm sure you could find a lot of flaws in the mythos -- it was something that was evolving as the show was. The amazing thing to me is how many people stuck with it, and made connections between ideas that sometimes didn't resurface for years at a time. I think the biggest challenge, certainly, was trying to make the show work while David was (mostly) absent in Seasons 8 and 9.
Hardest episode/story-arc to write: The mythology became incredibly difficult to write, especially after the movie. But the biggest challenge was having to write the movie in the midst of Season 4, knowing it would come out between Seasons 5 & 6, even though we hadn't written Season 5!
Getting two sets of notes on Hunted: Yes, that's right! We got two separate sets of notes on every draft of every script, and on every edit of every episode. The nice thing was that the notes were really smart and generally in agreement. Otherwise, it could've been a very challenging process. So glad you enjoyed the first episode -- I think it only gets better from here. I hope you'll agree.
On David and Gillian: David is incredibly witty and sharp, Gillian's very smart and has the greatest laugh. Both are very dedicated, very disciplined. It was incredibly hard work doing that show all those years, especially when you're in so many of the scenes, as David and Gillian were. I have enormous respect for both of them.
Gillian as Sam Hunter, would she have been as physical in the role: She would have! I developed this with Gillian for a very long time, and she made incredibly important contributions to the character of Sam. It was a real blow when she had to bow out, and it took months and months of searching to find another actress who could pull it off. At the time, I honestly couldn't imagine anybody who could do it but Gillian. But now I think Melissa's made the role her own, and I couldn't really imagine anybody other than her as Sam.
The Lone Gunmen: I know people who loved the Lone Gunmen spinoff, and people who hated it, but I personally loved it. I think we struggled to get the right tone for awhile there, but it was a joy to make.
Was the Mulder-Scully relationship planned: No. The truth is that most of the "unrequired sexual tension" wasn't even scripted. I remember having huge debates as late as Season 3 about whether Mulder and Scully's hands could even touch. But after five years, we felt the characters themselves were demanding that the nature of the relationship change.
A topic too controversial to make: No. I remember we got intense pressure about the episode of "Millennium" that Darin Morgan wrote parodying Scientology. And Chris' original draft of "Irresistible" was rejected because it said suggested Donnie Pfaster had sex with dead bodies. Chris simply changed the script to say he had a "death fetish," and all was well.
Favorite season in regards to Scully's hair: Hmm. From memory? Season 7.
The worst episode of The X-Files: Hmm. I don't know what my single worst episode would have been. I guess the least favorite of the ones I wrote was "Medusa," the subway episode in Boston. I think the concept just wasn't clear or compelling enough to sustain the hour.
Alright Philes, those are some of the top questions. If you want more, head over the the AMA and read through the comments. We recommend you do! There were some great conversations.