A new director’s cut of The X-Files: I Want to Believe, titled Vrach Frankenshteyn, is set to debut on Hulu and Disney+ on Aug. 14, giving fans an R-rated, darker version of the 2008 film.

The re-edited version comes from series creator Chris Carter, who has described the cut as more violent and more fully committed to the story’s Frankenstein-inspired themes than the theatrical release. The original 2008 film starred David Duchovny and Gillian Anderson reprising their roles as FBI agents Fox Mulder and Dana Scully.

An official trailer for the director’s cut was released Aug. 4, giving fans their first extended look at the reworked film ahead of its streaming debut. The release had originally been planned for a Disney+ debut in July but was delayed due to technical issues that pushed the launch back several weeks.

The new cut arrives as interest in the X-Files franchise continues to build around a separate development: a full reboot of the series currently in the works from director Ryan Coogler, starring Danielle Deadwyler and Hamish Patel. Pilot production on that reboot took place between June and July 2026, though it remains a distinct project from Carter’s director’s cut of the 2008 film.

For longtime fans, the director’s cut offers a chance to revisit I Want to Believe in a form its creator has said better reflects his original vision, following a tradition of extended and alternate cuts that have become more common for genre films finding new life on streaming platforms.

The film follows Mulder and Scully years after the original series ended, drawn back into investigating a case involving a disgraced priest who claims psychic visions tied to a missing FBI agent, unfolding against a subplot involving black-market organ transplantation that inspired the Frankenshteyn reworking’s darker tone.

Neither Hulu nor Disney+ have detailed exactly how much new or altered footage the director’s cut contains compared with the theatrical version, though trailer material suggests substantially reworked pacing and additional violent content that pushed the rating from PG-13 to R.