Rapper Xzibit marks spot in "X-Files" movie

By Gregg Goldstein

NEW YORK (Hollywood Reporter) - The new "X-Files" movie will be packing more heat.

Rapper Xzibit, Amanda Peet and Scottish comic Billy Connolly have signed on for director Chris Carter's next big-screen adaptation of the hit TV series.

Citing a policy of secrecy surrounding the plot line, Fox would not confirm any details regarding the three actors' roles. But sources said Xzibit and Peet will play FBI agents alongside David Duchovny's Mulder and Gillian Anderson's Scully.

The supernatural thriller is a stand-alone story, not a sequel or continuation of the hit 1998 feature adaptation.

Carter and Frank Spotnitz wrote the screenplay, and production is expected to begin this month in Vancouver. The film is set to hit theaters in July.

Xzibit recently was cast opposite Bruce Willis and Woody Harrelson in Oliver Stone's "Pinkville," but his schedule was freed up when that film was put on hold because of the writers strike. His credits include "8 Mile" and MTV's "Pimp My Ride."

Peet was recently in theaters with another alien-related film, the New Line drama "Martian Child." Connolly has appeared in "Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events" and "The Last Samurai."

Reuters/Hollywood Reporter