Despite recent teases, Better Call Saul co-creator Vince Gilligan confirms that neither Bryan Cranston or Aaron Paul will appear in season 4. After five critically acclaimed and audience beloved seasons on AMC, Breaking Bad signed off for good in 2013. By early 2015, series creator Gilligan - along with Peter Gould, creator of sleazy lawyer character Saul Goodman (Bob Odenkirk) - had debuted a spinoff series designed to continue the Breaking Bad legacy, that being Better Call Saul.

Better Call Saul primarily serves as an origin story for Odenkirk's character, showing how he devolved from a troublemaker with a heart of gold into a man willing to work directly for the most dangerous members of New Mexico's organized crime scene. Saul begins the series going by his given name of Jimmy McGill, a man struggling to make ends meet as a small-time attorney. Unfortunately, Jimmy gets sucked further and further toward the dark side of morality as the seasons progress.

Naturally, given that Better Call Saul stars a character from Breaking Bad - and features two other popular Bad characters in its supporting cast, Jonathan Banks' Mike Ehrmantraut and Giancarlo Esposito's Gus Fring - fans have always wondered whether the meth-making duo of Walter White and Jesse Pinkman would make an appearance at some point. In recent months, Gilligan has expressed an interest in bringing them back, and actors Cranston and Paul have said they're willing to reprise the roles. Unfortunately, Gilligan confirmed during Breaking Bad's 10th anniversary reunion panel (via Deadline) at San Diego Comic-Con today that Walt and Jesse won't be a part of Saul season 4.

Aaron Paul and Bryan Cranston in Breaking Bad

Fans hoping to eventually see Walt and Jesse appear on Better Call Saul shouldn't give up hope though, as Gilligan also once again reiterated during the panel that he thinks it would be a sad circumstance indeed if those two characters don't show up on the spinoff before the end of its run. That said, star Odenkirk did hint that Walt's DEA agent brother-in-law Hank Schrader (Dean Norris) might be making his presence known on Saul sooner or later, so fans might want to keep a lookout for him in season 4.

Despite their stated willingness to play Walt and Jesse again, it's also not hard to understand why Cranston and Paul might be hesitant to come back until they feel the circumstances are absolutely right for them to do so. Their characters are already TV legends in the eyes of many, and it would likely be really disappointing if they only showed up for a one-scene joke cameo, or something like that. If they're going to be included, it should be done in a meaningful way, albeit one that comports with the fact that Saul is set prior to Walt's rise to blue meth kingpin and Jesse's sad downward spiral following the loss of Jane.

More: Better Call Saul Season 4: Every Update You Need To Know

Better Call Saul season 4 premieres August 6 on AMC.

Source: Deadline