Nearly two decades after its theatrical release, the director's cut of The X-Files: I Want to Believe is coming to Hulu on August 14 under the retitled The X-Files: I Want to Believe Vrach Frankenshteyn. Creator Chris Carter originally crafted a scarier film but faced studio pressure from Fox to tone down the horror elements to achieve a PG-13 rating, with ratings boards subsequently demanding even further cuts. The new R-rated version finally delivers the darker material Carter had envisioned all along.

Carter has long expressed frustration over these compromises, noting that television standards actually permitted more intensity than the film ratings board allowed. The subtitle references Victor Frankenstein in Russian, serving as a metaphorical nod to the lengthy process of resurrecting the filmmaker's original vision. Separately, a reboot of The X-Files is in development under director Ryan Coogler, who has discussed the project with original star David Duchovny.