It’s now been close to eight years since the internet blew up after the finale of Breaking Bad, and in that time there has been a spin-off and even a follow-up Netflix original movie. The writers have gotten tons of mileage out of these characters, and rightly so, as they all have so much depth.
Even the characters who have only appeared in a couple of episodes are memorable, and that’s in part thanks to the actors who portray them. However, just as the show would look a lot different if it was made in the UK, a Hollywood movie of the award-winning TV show could be just as exciting as the series.
Gomez - Michael Peña
It’d be easy to mistake Michael Peña for being a comedy actor because he's most famous for his hilarious performance as Luis in the Ant-Man. However, that’s just a bonus, as his performances in the Academy Award-winning Crash and the cop drama End of Watch have shown how capable he is as a dramatic actor. The role of Gomez (Steven Michael Quezada), Hank’s partner, would be perfect for Peña, as Gomez perfectly strikes that balance between dramatic and comedic.
Mike - Robert De Niro
Robert De Niro has played a mobster countless times. In fact, his character in The Irishman, a former hitman who regretfully looks back on the mistakes of his life now he’s lost his entire family, has a very similar arc to Mike. And though the roles are so similar, as Mike is one of the most loyal characters of the series, just like Frank Sheeran is to Jimmy Hoffa. De Niro could make the role his own more than anybody.
Saul Goodman - Eddie Murphy
What Bob Odenkirk did with Saul Goodman was unbelievable, as he became the MVP of the whole show and even stole the scene from Bryan Cranston at some points. A character that seemed more from the world of Malcolm in the Middle when he first appeared evolved into the most three-dimensional character in the series.
And there are few actors who can blur the lines between outright comedy and drama, but given his triumphant return in Dolemite Is My Name, Eddie Murphy would give an incredible portrayal of the criminal lawyer. And though Breaking Bad had the perfect ending, it was followed by Better Call Saul, and if that was a movie, Murphy would kill it.
Marie - Stephanie Kurtzuba
Being another star of The Irishman, Stephanie Kurtzuba has had a lot of success with Martin Scorsese, as she also starred in The Wolf of Wall Street as Kimmie Belzer. And everything the actress has been in between those two movies has proven how much of a slept-on actress she is in Hollywood.
Kurtzuba has shown that she has the emotional chops, and given how hilarious Marie (Betsy Brandt) can be in the show, whether it’s being overprotective of Hank or criticizing him for collecting minerals, Kurtzuba can capture that perfectly.
Todd - Ansel Elgort
Despite being a star and having leading roles in movies like Baby Driver, Divergent, and The Fault in Our Stars, audiences still haven’t seen too much of a range from Ansel Elgort.
However, his past roles have been largely subdued, as the characters he plays don’t generally like to show their emotions, which is similar to the psychopath Todd (Jesse Plemons.) And given that Elgort is leading the Steven Spielberg remake of West Side Story, a movie where the failure or success is based almost purely on the performances, it’s likely that the young actor can pull anything off.
Gustavo Fring - Don Cheadle
Being the owner of Los Pollos Hermanos, the fast-food joint fronting for a crystal meth empire, Gustavo Fring was brought to terrifying life by Giancarlo Esposito. Esposito is a hugely influential presence in everything he's in, though Fring is arguably his best character.
Don Cheadle could make the character just as iconic on the big screen, and though he doesn’t generally get much screentime as War Machine in the MCU, he is an Academy Award-nominated actor for his role in Hotel Rwanda. Cheadle finally gets to be a bad guy in the upcoming Space Jam sequel, but as of now, audiences haven't seen him in a truly antagonistic role.
Hank - Laurence Fishburne
Laurance Fishburne can play absolutely anybody. He has gone from playing a child in the Vietnam War in Apocalypse Now, an evil gangster in King of New York, and the leader of an uprising against machines in The Matrix.
And though the talented actor settled into his role of Dr. Raymond Langston in CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, he has never fully fleshed out a detective-type role on the big screen. And considering how Hank (Dean Norris) has the most intense scenes in the show, Fishburne would ace it, as he has such a commanding presence, just like Norris.
Skyler - Amy Adams
Skyler (Anna Gunn) got a bad rep among fans of the show, despite her husband committing much more heinous actions than she could even dream of.
But if there’s any actress who could win fans over to her side, it’s Amy Adams. Whether it’s in The Master or American Hustle, Adams has some kind of gravitational pull when it comes to the audience. And even in her movies that aren’t as beloved, such as Man of Steel, she's always a strength.
Jesse - Evan Peters
Whether or not audiences will ever see Evan Peters as Quicksilver again is up in the air, and though the actor’s filmography would be a little light if it wasn’t for the X-Men movies and American Horror Story, the actor has shown how much fun he can have in character.
Aaron Paul pulled off Jesse so well by giving off that charming, comic relief vibe, as he put so much effort into every variation of yelling “b**ch.” Peters could capture that same energy that Paul perfected in the series.
Walter - Brad Pitt
On the face of it, it might be a little jarring to imagine Brad Pitt as a struggling high-school teacher, but he has actually played average joes before, most recently in The Big Short and Moneyball. And though even to this day he’s in great shape, it’s easy to forget how old the actor is. He could master the role of a down-on-his-luck teacher turning 50. And at the same time, Pitt can play an evil, demanding, selfish antagonist too, just like Heisenberg.