Better Call Saul

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‘Breaking Bad’s Jonathan Banks Joins Prequel Series ‘Better Call Saul’ For AMC

EXCLUSIVE: Jonathan Banks has joined Bob Odenkirk in Better Call Saul, AMC/Sony TV’s upcoming prequel to Emmy-winning Breaking Bad that centers on Odenkirk‘s unflappable criminal lawyer Saul Goodman. Banks will be a series regular on the show conceived by Breaking Bad creator Vince Gilligan and Breaking Bad writer-producer Peter Gould. The prequel series, slated to debut on AMC in November, will chronicle the evolution of Saul before he ever became Walter White’s lawyer. The deal with Banks means that Saul will have his trusted private investigator/fixer Michael “Mike” Ehrmantraut by his side. Banks was a regular on Breaking Bad and played Ehrmantraut for 2.5 seasons after being introduced in the drama series’ second-season finale. A former Philadelphia police officer, Mike worked as the Head of Corporate Security at Los Pollos Hermano and enforcer in Gustavo Fring’s crystal meth operation. He later became involved with Walt (Bryan Cranston) and Jesse (Aaron Paul), ultimately getting shot and killed by Walt in the Season 5A finale while trying to quit the drug business. Banks’ performance in the 2012 portion of Season 5 earned him an Emmy nomination, one of two for the veteran actor. (The first was for his role on the 1987 drama series Wiseguy).

Odenkirk and Banks are the only actors set for Better Call Saul so far. There has been a lot of speculation about which characters from Breaking Bad would make the transition to the prequel. In an interview, Gilligan had suggested that Mike would be a character he would love to see on the new series. Jesse also has been talked about, with Paul and Cranston both stating publicly they would like to be part of the spinoff. The Better Call Saul gig further expands Banks’ relationship with Sony TV, where he currently recurs on the studio’s NBC comedy Community. He also will be seen in the upcoming Horrible Bosses 2.

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AMC today provided the first of several planned updates on the Breaking Bad prequel Better Call Saul, including the release of a first-look photo from the Albuquerque, New Mexico set where the widely-anticipated drama began production on its first 10-episode season earlier this month.

This update includes:

Breaking Bad creator and showrunner Vince Gilligan is directing the Better Call Saul series premiere, and co-showrunning along with fellow Breaking Bad alum Peter Gould, creator of the Saul Goodman character.
AMC confirmed it has already ordered a second season of 13 Better Call Saul episodes, for an initial total of 23.
The network also announced a change of the series schedule, with Better Call Saul premieres slated for early 2015 and early 2016, respectively. Specific dates will follow, but the show will join The Walking Dead and Talking Dead, two of television’s top-rated hits, on AMC in the first quarter of each of the next two years.
The first-look photo (above) shows Gilligan and Gould from the set, with star Bob Odenkirk (Saul Goodman).
“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,” said AMC president Charlie Collier. “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.”

In addition to Gilligan and Gould, several Breaking Bad writers have returned to work on Saul, including Thomas Schnauz and Gennifer Hutchison. Bradley Paul has also joined the writing team, along with Gordon Smith, who was a writers’ assistant on Breaking Bad.

Better Call Saul is executive produced by Gilligan, Gould, Mark Johnson (Breaking Bad, Diner, Rain Man) and Melissa Bernstein (Breaking Bad, Rectify, Halt and Catch Fire) with Breaking Bad alums Stewart A. Lyons and Schnauz as co-executive producers for Sony Pictures Television.

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