You haven't seen the last of Walter White! Maybe! Better Call Saul co-creator and executive producer Peter Gould told The New York Daily News that his Breaking Bad spinoff show is being set up so it can feature some of the characters we said goodbye to during Breaking Bad's five-season run.
"One of the great things about having a timeline which is flexible is that perhaps some of it takes place before Breaking Bad, during Breaking Bad, and after Breaking Bad. That gives us the ability to bring back characters that were killed on Breaking Bad," Gould said.
Better Call Saul will bounce around in time. The spinoff series follows Saul Goodman (Bob Odenkirk) in various stages of his life, so we'll see him pre-Heisenberg and during Walter White's meth kingpin reign. The show also stars Jonathan Banks and Michael McKean.
Breaking Bad stars Bryan Cranston and Aaron Paul have both discussed appearing on Better Call Saul. Cranston recently ignited Internet speculation after a CNN interview where he said, "Never say never" about playing Walter White again. Anna Gunn, Skyler White on Breaking Bad, told E! News in May that there was some talk about Skyler popping up in the series. "Of course I'd love to be part of that, I love my family," she said. And Paul recently told The Huffington Post he was likely not appearing in the series, at least not in the first season.
"Let's be honest, I don't think we're going to see more Breaking Bad, but I hope we might be able to play our character again in Better Call Saul, but that's not solidified," Paul said. "It's not set in stone, there's no plan of Jesse or Walt making an appearance in the first season of Better Call Saul. [But] who knows? Maybe in the future seasons."
AMC recently announced Better Call Saul has been given a 13-episode second season. No, you didn't miss the first season, it hasn't premiered yet. The network pushed back the premiere date to early 2015. Breaking Bad creator Vince Gilligan has signed on to serve as co-showrunner as well.
"Production on Better Call Saul is underway and we could not be more proud of nor more excited about the work to date. We join the fans in eager anticipation for this series and today we happily confirm that our initial Saul order is for two seasons and a total of 23 episodes," Charlie Collier, president of AMC, said in a statement. "When introducing any series, especially one with the DNA of Breaking Bad, there are countless factors to consider in making sure the show gets the launch it deserves. We have a strong history with Vince, Peter, Bob, the studio and so many involved with this production; we are enjoying the process on Saul and all share a focus on making it a true television event. No half measures."
Don't worry, Better Call Saul isn't going to use Breaking Bad as a crutch. "We want to make a show that stands on it own, is its own story and is a brand extension," Gould told The New York Daily News.
Better Call Saul is set to premiere in early 2015 with season two in 2016.