Disney+ releases the Director's Cut of the X-Files film 'I Want to Believe' on June 11, 2026, restoring the horror-focused material removed by Fox executives and the MPAA. The Director's Cut was described by Chris Carter, the creator and director of the franchise, as something 'too scary' to prevent its original release with a PG-13 rating. The cut restores the content left out when the film was released in 2008.
Amid anticipation for Ryan Coogler's X-Files reboot, which will star Danielle Deadwyler and Himesh Patel as FBI agents, Disney+ has some terrific news for fans of the phenomenal sci-fi franchise.
Having premiered decades ago, the series continues to have a major impact on popular culture and has since spawned multiple spin-offs, including Millennium and The Lone Gunmen, as well as two feature films, the 1998 film The X-Files and the standalone film The X-Files: I Want to Believe, released in 2008, six years after the original show's finale. With June only a few days away, we can confirm that Disney+ is scheduled to release a new X-Files entry next month related to the franchise's 2008 film.
That said, The X-Files: I Want to Believe — Director's Cut arrives on the streamer on June 11, 2026, where it will be accessible as a bonus feature on the film's existing platform page. The new Director's Cut, unlike the 2008 modestly extended cut, is a separate endeavor that restores the horror-focused material which Chris Carter was forced to remove by Fox executives and the MPAA before the film's original release.
Speaking about the new release on the Fail Better With David Duchovny podcast in 2025, Carter, who directed the movie as well as created The X-Files franchise, described it as"too scary" as he finally got the chance to make something he always intended after satisfying the demands of his superiors at Fox as well as the critics, and the MPAA, who wanted a PG-13 movie.
"It's not just doing a Director's Cut to do a Director's Cut," he said at the time. "It's really kind of bringing to life something that for me was on the page and never got to the screen. " COLLIDER Collider · Quiz Collider Exclusive · Sci-Fi Personality Quiz Which Sci-Fi Hero Are You Most Like? Paul Atreides · Captain Kirk · Princess Leia · Ellen Ripley · Max Rockatansky Five iconic heroes.
Five completely different ways of facing an impossible universe. One of them shares your instincts, your values, and your particular way of refusing to back down. Eight questions will tell you which one. 🏜️Paul Atreides 🖖Capt.
Kirk ✊Princess Leia 🔦Ellen Ripley 🔥Max Rockatansky FIND YOUR HERO → QUESTION 1 / 8LEADERSHIP 01 How do you lead when the stakes couldn't be higher? The way you lead under pressure is the most honest thing about you. AI absorb everything — every variable, every pattern — and move only when I know the path forward. BI read the room, make the call, and own the consequences.
Hesitation costs more than mistakes. CI rally people. A cause needs a voice, and I refuse to let fear be louder than conviction. DI assess the threat, establish what needs doing, and get it done without waiting for permission.
EI don't lead. I act. Others can follow or not — I'm already moving.
NEXT QUESTION → QUESTION 2 / 8STRENGTH 02 What is your greatest strength in a crisis? The quality that keeps you alive when everything else fails. APrescience — the ability to see further ahead than anyone else and plan accordingly. BImprovisation — I'm at my best when the plan falls apart and I have to invent a new one.
CConviction — I know what I'm fighting for, and that certainty doesn't waver under fire. DComposure — I stay functional when everyone around me is falling apart. Panic is a luxury. EEndurance — I outlast things.
I take the hit and keep moving long after others have stopped. NEXT QUESTION → QUESTION 3 / 8MOTIVATION 03 What is the thing you'd sacrifice everything else for? Your deepest motivation is your truest compass. AThe survival and dignity of my people — even if I have to become something frightening to ensure it.
BThe safety of my crew — every single one of them. No one gets left behind. CFreedom — for my people, for every world still crushed under the weight of an empire. DThe truth — what actually happened, what's actually out there, whether anyone believes me or not.
EThe one person — or the one memory — that still makes any of this worth surviving for. NEXT QUESTION → QUESTION 4 / 8PEOPLE 04 How do you relate to the people around you? Who you are to others under pressure is who you really are. AWith intensity and distance — I care deeply, but the weight I carry makes closeness complicated.
BWith warmth and irreverence — I take the mission seriously, not myself. CWith directness and trust — I say what I mean, and I expect the people I work with to rise to it. DWith professional care but clear limits — I'll protect you, but I won't pretend we're family. EWith wariness that slowly becomes loyalty — I don't trust easily, but when I do, it holds.
NEXT QUESTION → QUESTION 5 / 8THREAT 05 You're facing a threat that no one else believes is real. What do you do? How you respond when you're the only one who sees it defines everything. APrepare in silence.
If they won't listen, I'll be ready when they finally have to. BKeep pushing until someone listens — and if no one does, handle it myself. CBuild the case, find the allies, and make the threat impossible to ignore. DDocument everything.
The truth matters even if no one believes it yet. EStop trying to convince anyone. Survive it. That's the only argument that counts.
NEXT QUESTION → QUESTION 6 / 8COST 06 What has your heroism cost you personally? Every hero pays. The question is what — and whether they'd pay it again. AMy innocence — I've seen what I'm capable of, and I can't unsee it.
BPeople I loved — the command chair has a view, but it's a lonely one. CA normal life — I gave up everything ordinary the moment I chose the cause. DMy sense of safety — I know exactly what's out there now, and I can't pretend otherwise. EAlmost everything — and I'm still not sure what I'm carrying it all for.
But I keep going. NEXT QUESTION → QUESTION 7 / 8RULES 07 How do you feel about the rules of the world you're in? Every hero has a relationship with the system. What's yours?
AI understand them deeply — and I know exactly which ones must be broken, and why. BI respect the spirit of them and bend the letter when the situation demands it. CThe system is the problem. I'm not here to work within it — I'm here to dismantle it.
DI follow protocol until protocol stops being useful. Then I make the call myself. EThe rules collapsed a long time ago. What's left is instinct, and mine are reliable.
NEXT QUESTION → QUESTION 8 / 8PURPOSE 08 When everything is on the line, what keeps you going? The answer is the most honest thing about you. ADestiny — or something that feels so much like it that the difference no longer matters. BThe people on my ship — their faces, their trust, the fact that they're counting on me.
CThe belief that what we're fighting for is worth every sacrifice, including this one. DSheer refusal to let it win — whatever it is. I don't stop. That's just who I am.
EI'm not sure anymore. But the road is still there, and I'm still on it. REVEAL MY HERO → Your Hero Has Been Identified Your Sci-Fi Hero Is… Your answers point to the iconic sci-fi hero who shares your instincts, your values, and your particular way of facing the impossible.
Arrakis · Dune Paul Atreides You carry a weight most people would crumble under — the knowledge of what you're capable of, and the burden of what you might have to become. USS Enterprise · Star Trek Captain Kirk You lead with instinct, warmth, and an absolute refusal to accept a no-win scenario — because you've always believed there's a third option nobody else has thought of yet.
The Rebellion · Star Wars Princess Leia You are the kind of person who holds the line when everyone else is losing faith — not because you're fearless, but because giving up simply isn't something you're capable of. The Nostromo · Alien Ellen Ripley You are not reckless, not grandiose, and not particularly interested in being anyone's hero — you just refuse to stop when it matters.
The Wasteland · Mad Max Max Rockatansky You have been through fire that would break most people — and what came out the other side is something the world underestimates at its peril. ↻ RETAKE THE QUIZ What Is 'The X-Files: I Want To Believe' About?
As the second feature film in The X-Files franchise, I Want to Believe stars three main actors from the television series: David Duchovny, Gillian Anderson, and Mitch Pileggi, who reprise theirroles as Fox Mulder, Dana Scully, and Walter Skinner. The sci-fi movie wasn't as successful as its mothership, as it holds a 32% score on Rotten Tomatoes from both critics and audiences. On top of that, it underperformed at the box office, earning $68.4 million against a $30 million budget.
Such a disappointing run was partly due to backlash over its shift away from The X-Files' trademark extraterrestrial mythology, which instead focused on a standalone serial-killer story driven by psychic visions. Hopefully, the new cut will change the film's overall legacy. Subscribe for Deep X-Files Coverage and Director Cut Insight Want deeper context on the X-Files Director's Cut? Subscribe to the newsletter for in-depth coverage, scene-by-scene restoration breakdowns, director-focused analysis, and thoughtful franchise perspective tailored for fans.
Get Updates By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime. The X-Files: I Want to Believe — Director's Cut arrives on Disney+ next month on June 11. The X Files: I Want to Believe Like PG-13 Drama Mystery Science Fiction Thriller Release Date July 24, 2008 Runtime 104 minutes Director Chris Carter Writers Frank Spotnitz Cast See All Powered by Expand Collapse
Please follow us on Google to support us X-Files Reboot Director's Cut I Want To Believe Horror Chris Carter Disney+ Fox Executives MPA Inclusion
United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
30 Years Later, This Forgotten ‘X-Files’ Episode Has Never Been More Alarmingly RelevantThe lesser-known X-Files episode predicted the dark side of online dating with unnerving precision.
Read more »
Director's Cut of Original 'X-Files' Sequel Delivers Much-Advised Horror Content, Previewing Its ReleaseA behind-the-scenes story about the original Director's Cut of 'The X-Files' sequel, which revisits Chris Carter's intended horror elements and set-up, before being compromised for a PG-13 release.
Read more »
Disney+ to premier director's cut of The X-Files: I Want to Believe, along with new trailers and release datesThe X-Files: I Want to Believe, a supernatural thriller film, will be digitally premiered on Disney+ in June 2024, featuring a director's cut with a revised version of the movie. Additionally, new trailers and release dates are announced for various upcoming films and TV shows, including ComingSoon's exclusive Hot Girl Summer trailer, Brad Pitt's The Adventures of Cliff Booth, and Jordan Peele's sci-fi horror film.
Read more »
Director's Cut of 2008's The X-Files: I Want to Believe - Disney+ ReleaseThe director's cut of the 2008 film The X-Files: I Want to Believe, featuring a darker R-rated version, will be released on Disney+ next month, alongside bonus features. This marks a unique opportunity to revisit Chris Carter's original vision and potentially build momentum for a planned reboot of the X-Files franchise.
Read more »