Vince Gilligan has “no plans” for another chapter in the Breaking Bad universe after El Camino: A Breaking Bad Movie. Once he finishes up Better Call Saul, the spinoff series he co-created with Breaking Bad executive producer Peter Gould now heading into its fifth season, Gilligan will turn his attention towards “something completely different.” Set immediately after the events of the Breaking Bad series finale but coming six years later, El Camino feels “more like an ending” than “Felina” ever did, with Gilligan knowing one last flashback between Walter White (Bryan Cranston) and Jesse Pinkman (Aaron Paul) is likely the last time we’ll see the former meth-cooking duo together.
“I don’t have any plans right now to do anything more with the Breaking Bad universe except for helping Peter Gould and the writers finish up Better Call Saul. Having said that, I have surprised myself in the past, clearly,” Gilligan told EW, acknowledging the time he once said Breaking Bad ended with Breaking Bad. “But I’m starting to think — I used this expression a lot in 2013 — I don’t want to overstay my welcome. I hope I haven’t at this point.”
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Gilligan only developed his sequel movie because he wanted a definitive end to Jesse’s story, left open when he raced away behind the wheel of an El Camino in the closing minutes of the Breaking Bad finale.
With that story told and Jesse since disappeared to Alaska, Gilligan is putting Breaking Bad in his rear view mirror. But never say never.
“It’s a tempting thing to overstay your welcome when you’re having a good time at the party. Suddenly you look around and you’re the last person there with the lampshade on your head and the hosts are waiting for you to get the hell out. I don’t want to be that guy,” Gilligan said. “I’m really starting to think, ‘God, I better see if I got anything else in me here. I’d better see if I can come up with another story.’ So no matter what, the next thing I intend to do is something completely different. But you never know, 20 years from now, if I’m still working, and everyone still wants it, it’d be interesting to see what Alaska still looks like 10 years later, 15 years later.”
Gilligan acknowledged wanting to include at least four more Breaking Bad characters on top of the dozen or so that already return, either in present action or through flashback, but he “just couldn’t figure out” how to incorporate Gus Fring (Giancarlo Esposito), Skyler White (Anna Gunn), Walt Jr. (RJ Mitte) or Marie (Betsy Brandt). In the end, the White family had no place in a story centered around Jesse’s desperate escape from the ABQ.
“But then I realized that’s the problem: they’re Walter White’s family, and this is not Walter White’s story. This is Jesse Pinkman’s story. And you only have two hours or less,” Gilligan noted. “Netflix was wonderful to me. They probably would’ve given me three hours if I had asked for it. But you gotta know when to fold ’em, and you’ve got to know when to end your movie, and you don’t want to overstay your welcome.”
There are certainly no plans for more the great Heisenberg, who was definitively killed off in the final seconds of “Felina.” Gilligan went so far as to include a scene in El Camino explicitly stating Walt to be dead to satisfy viewers who couldn’t help but ask, “What happened to Walter White?”
“Walter White’s story ended with Breaking Bad,” Gilligan declared. “This is a new chapter — I shouldn’t say ‘chapter’ because that implies that there’s going to be more, and I have no plans for that — but it’s something else entirely and it’s all Jesse’s.”
El Camino: A Breaking Bad Movie and all episodes of Breaking Bad are now streaming on Netflix. The fifth season of Better Call Saul is expected to premiere on AMC sometime in 2020. Follow the author @CameronBonomolo on Twitter.
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