Duchovny Leaves 'X-Files'

By Stephen M. Silverman

03/23/1998 at 12:00 AM EST

Good news and bad news for fans of "The X-Files": The Fox show will be back for its ninth season in the fall, but star David Duchovny won't be returning with it. "I guess he thinks it's time to get on with his life," Reuters quotes Sandy Grushow, president of Fox TV Entertainment Group, as saying of Duchovny, who has been inching into movie roles. Last year his "Return to Me," costarring Minnie Driver, proved he could fill the big screen, though the box office returns were disappointing. This year the quietly sexy actor, 40, is due in the features "Evolution" and "Zoolander." On "X-Files" he played FBI agent Fox Mulder. Grushow added that the show's costar, Gillian Anderson, is contracted to appear in every episode next season, and the show's creator, Chris Carter, will also be back, though his exact role has not been decided.