Better Call Saul Spinoff: Breaking Bad Prequel Could Feature Cameos from Walter, Jesse and Mike, Says Creator Vince Gilligan
Breaking Bad fans are still mourning the loss of their favorite show. One glimmer of hope still remains, however, in the show's upcoming spinoff prequel, Better Call Saul. Recently, Vince Gilligan, creator of both shows, spilled the beans on what to expect.
Better Call Saul will focus on Walter White's lawyer, Saul Goodman (Bob Odenkirk), in his days before meeting the meth kingpin. That doesn't mean, however, that there will not be a splash of Breaking Bad in the new series.
"We think, by and large, this show will be a prequel, but the wonderful thing about the fractured chronology we employed on 'Breaking Bad' for many years is the audience will not be thrown by us jumping around in time," Gilligan told Entertainment Weekly. "So it's possible that we may indeed do that, and we'll see the past and perhaps the future."
The spinoff will be more of a comedy than its predecessor, but Gilligan says there is a possibility that the Breaking Bad timeframe will overlap with Better Call Saul.
"Anything is possible, and I can't make any promises that we will indeed see that kind of stuff, but I can tell you from a writer's point of view, it's very freeing and emboldening to have those opportunities available to you," Gilligan explained.
What every Breaking Bad fan is wondering is if any of the show's best characters will make appearances in the new series.
"The character that springs to mind would be Mike (Jonathan Banks)," Gilligan said. "That would be a great deal of fun."
Gilligan would not mind having Breaking Bad's stars Bryan Cranston (Mr. White) and Aaron Paul (Jesse Pinkman) return to the show, but he knows that the actors have moved on to new projects.
"Realistically speaking, we've got a whole lot of actors, and the world is now well-aware of their wonderful talents and abilities, and therefore 'Breaking Bad' has probably made it tougher for Peter and I to get some of these folks pinned down for another TV show," Gilligan explained. "They're off making big movies and doing Broadway plays and what not, and that's exactly the way it should be."
Don't give up hope, however, because Gilligan has not.
"... if we do indeed want to touch base with some of these characters... 'Better Call Saul' could be 'The Love Boat' of its generation, where instead of Milton Berle showing up in a sailor's cap, hopefully it could be Aaron Paul, also in a sailor's cap," Gilligan said with a laugh.