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San Francisco Chronicle
Robert Patrick Joining 'X-Files'
Fox announced an "X-Files" cast addition yesterday that could signal life for the series beyond the 2000-2001 season. Robert Patrick, who played the robotic villain in the film "Terminator 2: Judgment Day," has signed to play an FBI agent named John Doggett in the fall season. "X-Files" creator Chris Carter said in an interview after the Fox announcement that the Doggett character will be a former New York police detective, a "knee jerk skeptic" who "needs to see it, touch it, smell it, taste it in order to believe it" in confronting the paranormal.Carter said neither he nor the series stars, David Duchovny and Gillian Anderson, have contracted to continue the series past next season. But Duchovny, who will appear in only 11 new episodes in the 2000-2001 season, has been the most reluctant to stay. Patrick's addition fills a gap in the new season -- Duchovny's Fox Mulder character was carried off in a spaceship in the seventh season finale two months ago -- and seemingly also provides a potential leading man if the show has a ninth season. Duchovny and Carter had been antagonists in a lawsuit Duchovny filed against the "X-Files" production company, and Carter conceded yesterday that the two weren't on speaking terms last year. But Carter added that he and Duchovny have lunched together twice in the past two weeks, and "there's been a lot of repair of something that was damaged." Fox said yesterday that "The X-Files" will have its season premiere on November 5. Carter said the season will begin with a two-part story. Duchovny will appear in both parts, Carter said. |