As audiences gear up for the finale of its hit first spinoff, Breaking Bad creator Vince Gilligan has a disappointing update on potential future spinoffs. Gilligan's original crime drama centered on high school chemistry teacher Walter White as he teamed up with former student Jesse Pinkman in order to cook and sell meth in order to leave his family a nice nest egg in case he is unable to beat his cancer diagnosis. Breaking Bad ran for five seasons on AMC and scored widespread acclaim from critics and viewers alike for its writing, character development, direction and the performances from its cast, earning 16 Primetime Emmy wins and largely being considered one of the best TV shows of all time.
Following the conclusion of Breaking Bad, Gilligan would team with series veteran Peter Gould for the prequel/sequel/spinoff Better Call Saul, which largely explored the origins of Bob Odenkirk's titular lawyer prior to becoming the shady criminal defense attorney. Across its six seasons, the show has also explored the lives of Giancarlo Esposito's Gus Fring and Jonathan Banks' Mike Ehrmantraut in the years prior to their roles in the previous series. Similarly garnering universal acclaim and 46 Primetime Emmy nominations, Better Call Saul is about to close out its run as the timeline nears its Breaking Bad start and while some are looking to the franchise's potential future, the man behind it all has a disappointing outlook.
While speaking with Rolling Stone for the upcoming Better Call Saul finale, Vince Gilligan opened up about the Breaking Bad franchise's potential future. Though the creator expressed an interest in revisiting the universe, he offered a disappointing update on potential spinoffs as he implied not having a way to properly expand the franchise. See what Gilligan said below:
"I can definitely imagine revisiting it. Selfishly, I’d like to do so, to keep this thing going. But without naming any names, I look around at some of the worlds, the universes, the stories that I love, whether they’re on TV or in the movies. And I think there’s a certain point, and it’s hard to define, where you’ve done too much in the same universe. Just leave it alone."
With Gilligan having introduced a wide array of characters with interesting backstories and proving with Better Call Saul his and Gould's abilities to effectively keep the franchise going, many have understandably hoped for the Breaking Bad universe to continue in some capacity. Unfortunately, based on Gilligan's comments, it appears fans of the series will have to wait for some time as it seems the Breaking Bad creator doesn't know exactly how to expand his franchise in a meaning way. Given the somewhat divided response to El Camino: A Breaking Bad Movie, which some largely deemed an unnecessary story, it may come as welcome news that Gilligan isn't looking to simply expand the franchise for the sake of expansion.
It may also not come as a surprise to some that Breaking Bad creator Vince Gilligan doesn't have plans for future spinoffs at the time, given that he and Gould purposely wrote Odenkirk's character with the idea to spin him off for Better Call Saul, which didn't properly make development progress until four years later. Though his comments may offer an initially disappointing update for the franchise's future, Gilligan's eagerness to return to the Breaking Bad universe at some point should prove hopeful for those eager to see more the New Mexico crime series. In the meantime, audiences can look forward to Better Call Saul's series finale as it airs on Monday, August 15.
Source: Rolling Stone