Chris Carter knows a thing or two about alternate realities. But for his latest project, the creator of “The X-Files” is trading alien conspiracies for a different kind of nightmare: 1950s Queens.
In “Queens for a Day,” a polarizing, Fox News-esque talk show host (Erin Boyes) is transported back in time after an accident, only to find herself trapped in her mother’s body and forced to raise a child she can’t stand — her younger self. Written by Carter’s wife, Dori, the dark satire reunites the filmmaker with several “X-Files” veterans, including producer Grace Gilroy, cinematographer Craig Wrobleski and production designer Mark Freeborn.
And in a plot twist worthy of one of his own scripts, Carter is going it alone in Hollywood. He financed the film himself and has no sales agent. The truth may still be out there, but this time, so is a distribution deal.
Carter sat down with Page Six Hollywood for a round of Pushy Questions about directing the film in the “catastrophic” Trump era, the inspiration for the protagonist and why he’s excited for Ryan Coogler‘s “X-Files” reboot.
P6H: What was the genesis of this film?
Carter: My wife wrote this script over 30 years ago. It was optioned by Jon Avnet, known for “Fried Green Tomatoes,” and Paul Brickman, who wrote and directed “Risky Business.” A little bit of energy went into it, and then it fell by the wayside as things often do. So, she put it in a box in the garage and forgot about it for over 30 years. I was in the garage going through boxes, and I found it and literally dusted it off, [then] remembered how much I liked it. And I gave it to her and said, “You should reconsider doing this, but doing it in our political moment.”
So, Dori did not originally write the protagonist as a right-wing newscaster?
Once she decided to make it a TV personality, who was the inspiration?
Judge Jeanine Pirro. She became fascinated with Jeanine Pirro. It’s not her. It’s someone like her. We’re not stealing from her life. We just love the character, and you can study her almost endlessly on YouTube.
Will you try and get her to see it?
Yeah. I’m hoping that we develop a storm around this movie, and if she happens to see it, it would be great. I’m not going to send it to her. I prefer to leave her alone.
What is the thing that has most surprised you from either Trump 1.0 or 2.0?
You can’t make this stuff up. You can’t imagine that 77 million people believed that he should be the leader of an America that’s 250 years old, and do as much damage as he has done. Trump 1.0 was ridiculous. But Trump 2.0 is catastrophic.
And what do you make of Hollywood moguls cozying up to him this time around?
You could call it cozying up. I call it, more pointedly, fear of reprisal, fear of speaking up, fear of being embroiled in the justice system. I think there was money to be made in fealty. It’s disgraceful.
Ryan Coogler is now making his version of “The X-Files,” and I read that you’ve deliberately chosen not to read the script because you want to experience it as an audience member. Is there any part of handing over the reins of something you created that was difficult?
No, I have faith in Ryan Coogler. I think he’s a brilliant filmmaker, and I’m excited that he wants to take a different approach to it. I want to see what that approach is going to be. We covered a whole lot of material, a whole lot of genres with the show originally, and even through the reboots. I’m excited about how he might re-explore those genres.
What was his pitch to you when he said, “I want to reboot this”?
We had a phone call. He didn’t need my blessing, and Disney could have done whatever they wanted. They own the show. It was really as a courtesy that he called me. I didn’t necessarily hand him the reins. He is picking up where we left off with a different approach to the idea, the concept, and the soul of the show.
You’ve also said you still have your own unfinished “X-Files” story — the larger story behind Scully revealing she was pregnant at the end of Season 11 — and that you’d like to tell it without interfering with Coogler’s series. So, do you know exactly how Mulder and Scully’s story ends?
Do you still want David Duchovny and Gillian Anderson to come back and finish it with you?
I would love the opportunity. I think we have to wait until the Coogler show finds its audience and then figure out how we might do it with those variables or unknowns in front of us. I’d love to do it as a series or as a movie. I went to great lengths with four episodes during the last two reboots to set up [a new] story, whether it be a movie or a limited series.
