Breaking Bad Spinoff 'Better Call Saul' Spoilers: Creator Vince Gilligan Reveals Details About Comedic Prequel
Vince Gilligan, creator of the epic series "Breaking Bad," is taking a leap of faith and creating a prequel to the series, tentatively titled "Better Call Saul." Gilligan is excited for his next project, despite knowing the improbability of striking gold twice.
"There's obviously a danger inherent in doing a spinoff, but I just love the character of Saul Goodman [Bob Odenkirk] so much, and part of me doesn't want to say no to this world," Gilligan said in an interview with The Hollywood Reporter.
Gilligan knows the risks of trying to continue an epic story all too well. In 2001, the creator worked on "The Lone Gunmen," a spinoff from "The X-Files," which lasted nine seasons. "The Lone Gunmen" received poor reviews and was canceled after just 13 episodes.
Still, Gilligan is not backing down and will do "Saul" his way: a comedy with hour-long episodes and the visual elements that made "Breaking Bad" one of a kind.
"Why not shoot 'Saul' in the same way?" Gilligan said referring to "Breaking Bad's" visuals. "Let's shoot it in Albuquerque, let's get as much of the crew back together as possible and let's do it the way we did it before so that it will be of a piece with that pre-existing fictional universe that we had so much fun creating."
Originally, "Better Call Saul" was going to be a half-hour sitcom, but Gilligan and "Breaking Bad" writer Peter Gould did not want to be held back by a format that required a certain amount of jokes on every page.
"We're both one-hour drama guys," Gilligan said.
Don't be fooled though. Saul's adventures will be much more lighthearted than that of infamous meth cook Walter White: "If 'Bad' was 75 percent dramatic and 25 percent comedic, 'Saul' will be the opposite," The Hollywood Reporter said.
The challenge, however, is giving carefree Saul something to care about.
"We've had to find the ongoing itch that Saul needs to scratch, so to speak, or else we wouldn't have much of a show," Gilligan said.
The show was pitched to AMC this summer and after drawn out negotiations between Sony and AMC, AMC greenlighted series.
"I don't need to compare the next project to the last project, even if others do. Let 'em," Gilligan said. "Just move forward, and make it as good as you can."
The "Breaking Bad" prequel will premiere between August and October of next year on AMC.