New X-Files Young Adult Novels Will Feature Mulder and Scully as Teens

The most recent reboot of the classic ’90s sci-fi show The X-Files propelled paranormal detectives Mulder and Scully into the second decade of the 21st century. The next adaptation will send them back to the 1970s. According to Entertainment Weekly, Imprint/Macmillan Children’s Publishing Group plans to release at least two young adult X-Files novels set in 1979 and featuring teenage versions of the beloved detectives.

So far, few details about the two books have been released. One, entitled Agent of Chaos, will follow the adventures of 17-year-old Fox Mulder, while the other, entitled Devil’s Advocate—written by Jonathan Maberry—will follow 15-year-old Dana Scully. Gizmodo explains that the 1970s were chosen as a backdrop specifically for the decade’s history of paranoia, occultism, and government conspiracies. While there’s no information yet about the stories each novel will tell, it’s clear that Mulder and Scully will be going on their adventures separately for now.

“When I watched the pilot episode back in 1993, I became immediately obsessed with The X-Files,” Erin Stein, the publisher of Imprint, said in a statement. “As a die-hard fan of the show, the opportunity to work with incredible authors on original stories about these characters is a dream come true for me. Why did Mulder become a believer? Why did Scully become a skeptic? We get to tell those stories.”

Both books are set for a January 2017 release.