Robert Patrick Joins 'X-Files'
L O S A N G E L E S, July 20 -- Robert Patrick will team with GillianAnderson on The X-Files next season, filling the gap for newepisodes that will not feature star David Duchovny, series creatorChris Carter said today.
Duchovny’s character, FBI agent Fox Mulder, was abducted byaliens in the season finale, setting up the actor’s reduced rolefor the Fox series’ eighth season.
Under a new deal that will pay him more money for each episodeand settle the actor’s lawsuit over X-Files profits, Duchovnywill appear in 11 of the new season’s 20 episodes. Duchovny hadbeen seeking more free time from the series shooting schedule.
Anderson has co-starred with Duchovny as agent Dana Scully, theskeptical comrade to Mulder’s pursuit of aliens and the paranormal.
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Patrick, best known as the evil liquid-metal cyborg inTerminator 2: Judgment Day, will appear in all 20 episodes,including those that feature Duchovny, Carter said.
“He’s not a replacement for David,” Carter said. “He’s a newcharacter coming in.”
Patrick will play FBI agent John Doggett, a former policemanwith a textbook approach to crime-solving. His character will notbe an official member of Mulder and Scully’s X-Files team butrather an agent assigned to help in the search for Mulder, Cartersaid.
Mulder’s Mysterious FutureDuchovny will appear in the season opener, which begins shootingnext week and will air in November, Carter said. Carter would notsay at what point in the season Mulder would reappear.
“I’m not being coy about this, but the element of surprise isvery important for X-Files fans,” Carter said.
Duchovny, Anderson and Carter are not under contract with Foxfor a ninth season, but adding Patrick to the cast offers someoptions if the show continued beyond next year, Carter said.
“The future is something we’re thinking about,” Carter said.“Neither Gillian nor David have a contract for the ninth year.Right now, it’s too early to start talking about theirparticipation.”
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