Breaking Bad spinoff: 'Better Call Saul'
| Los Angeles
The 鈥�Breaking Bad鈥� spinoff 鈥淏etter Call Saul鈥� is a go: AMC and Sony, the producers of 鈥淏reaking Bad,鈥� on Wednesday said it would be a prequel starring Bob Odenkirk as New Mexico鈥檚 sleaziest lawyer.
The fact that the show will be a prequel opens up a lot of possibilities: It could leave room, for example, to tell us how Saul Goodman first met Gustavo Fring. Giancarlo Esposito, who played Fring on the show, has told TheWrap he would be open to the idea of dropping in on a prequel. (He now stars on NBC鈥檚 鈥淩evolution.鈥�)
鈥淏etter Call Saul鈥� is the working title, but come on: How can they do better? The series will revolve around Saul鈥檚 shady dealings before Walter White ever put a dollar in his pocket.
鈥淎MC and Sony Pictures Television confirmed today that they have reached a licensing agreement for a spinoff of Vince Gilligan鈥檚 landmark AMC/SPT series 鈥楤reaking Bad,鈥欌�� they said in a statement. 鈥淎s conceived, the new series is based on the show鈥檚 popular Saul Goodman character with the working title 鈥楤etter Call Saul.鈥� Plans call for Saul to be a one-hour prequel that will focus on the evolution of the popular Saul Goodman character before he ever became Walter White鈥檚 lawyer.鈥�
鈥淏reaking Bad鈥� creator Vince Gilligan has said in the past that he plans to be involved in the spinoff at first, and then hand off to 鈥淏reaking Bad鈥� writer Peter Gould, who created the character Saul, inhabited by Odenkirk, co-creator of HBO鈥檚 groundbreaking 鈥淢r. Show.鈥�
Gilligan previously told TheWrap he and Gould weren鈥檛 sure if the prequel would be a half-hour comedy with dramatic elements or an hourlong drama with comedic ones. Apparently they鈥檝e landed on the latter.
Making the show a prequel also serves another purpose: It doesn鈥檛 reveal whether Goodman survives 鈥淏reaking Bad.鈥�
The news comes as thrilling news to 鈥淏reaking Bad鈥� fans as the show begins its final three episodes: They won鈥檛 have to leave Albuquerque after all.
Of course, Saul鈥檚 story may not begin in New Mexico. Odenkirk said in a Television Critics Association panel over the summer that he believes Saul is from Illinois, just as he is.
