The X-Files’ New R-Rated Release Unveiled In Hulu’s I Want To Believe Director’s Cut Trailer

Published Aug 4, 2026, 2:19 PM EDT

Grant Hermanns is a TV News Editor, Interview Host and Reviewer for ScreenRant, having joined the team in early 2021. He got his start in the industry with Moviepilot, followed by working at ComingSoon.net. When not indulging in his love of film/TV, Grant is making his way through his gaming backlog and exploring the world of Dungeons & Dragons with friends.

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One of Mulder and Scully’s most notorious cases is getting an R-rated twist with the official trailer for The X-Files: I Want to Believe director’s cut.

Co-written and helmed by franchise creator Chris Carter, the 2008 movie saw David Duchovny and Gillian Anderson’s beloved characters return to the screen after the show’s divisive ending, being pulled into an investigation at the FBI regarding a string of disappearances in West Virginia, where a defrocked priest has been having visions of the kidnapping. Though scoring generally negative reviews from critics, The X-Files: I Want to Believe was a box office hit, grossing over $68 million against its $30 million production budget.

As development ramped up on Ryan Coogler’s new incarnation of the sci-fi franchise, Duchovny revealed that Carter was working on a new version of The X-Files: I Want to Believe, which would be an R-rated director’s cut restoring an unspecified amount of footage from the 2008 film. This would later be officially announced, initially eyeing a June 2026 premiere on Disney+ and Hulu before delaying its release due to unspecified technical issues.

Now, ahead of the film’s August 14 streaming release, Disney+ and Hulu have unveiled the official The X-Files: I Want to Believe director’s cut trailer. The new version of the film, complete with the new subtitle of Vrach Frankenshteyn, is an R-rated overhaul of the 2008 theatrical installment, featuring writer/director Chris Carter’s original vision for the movie, which was previously described by star David Duchovny as being too scary for a PG-13 rating. Check out the trailer below:

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