Frank Spotnitz

About
writer and producer, best known for his work on The X-Files television series.

Hosted AMAs


Highest Rated Comments


FrankSpotnitz195 karma

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.

FrankSpotnitz163 karma

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!

FrankSpotnitz158 karma

Thanks! Check out "Hunted" if you can. I suspect you'll like it. And if you don't get Cinemax, you can see the first episode (in the States and Canada) on youtube.

FrankSpotnitz126 karma

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!

FrankSpotnitz116 karma

Acknowledged!

FrankSpotnitz95 karma

Already been on the XF subreddit and love it -- more people need to check it out! 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! P.S. You know Scully can never die...

FrankSpotnitz87 karma

I suspect it's for the very reason you just said -- it was SO dark. That, too, is why I loved it, but it made it a tough sell on network television. And in the beginning, Millennium got hammered for not being The X-Files. I still think Fox made a huge mistake in canceling it. Ironically, Millennium would be right at home in today's cable television landscape in the US.

FrankSpotnitz86 karma

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.

FrankSpotnitz80 karma

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.

FrankSpotnitz53 karma

Thank you so much! I was fortunate enough to learn from some of the greats on The X-Files (Chris, Howard and Glen & Jim).