For a pair of TV series that doesn't feature any major detectives or private eyes among its main characters, Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul are still some of the more mysterious shows on the small screen. Six years after its finale date, Breaking Bad is still flummoxing fans thanks to the relatively quiet rumor mill surrounding the upcoming TV movie, which will supposedly continue the story of Aaron Paul's Jesse Pinkman.
Facts about the Breaking Bad movie have been all but impossible to come by, beyond the "Greenbriar" shooting title, and the notion that filming would take place in familiar Albuquerque locations. But for any fans who are still paranoid that the project won't ever come together, Better Call Saul star Bob Odenkirk dropped some truths(?) by confirming the Breaking Bad feature has already been filmed in secret. In his words:
I've heard so many different things about it, but I am excited about the Breaking Bad movie. I can't wait to see it. . . . I don't know what people know and don't know. I find it hard to believe you don't know it was shot. They did it. You know what I mean? How is that a secret? But it is. They've done an amazing job of keeping it a secret.
Always a pragmatist, Bob Odenkirk's comments to THR bemusedly questioned the idea that fans could plausibly deny the belief that Breaking Bad's film project had already been filmed. Sure, creator Vince Gilligan is a precise and tricky guy when it comes to obfuscation, but the project has been rumored for a while now, and was confirmed in late 2018. So it would be pretty strange if the creative team(s) had gone this long without actually breaking ground.
6 Questions The Breaking Bad Movie Needs To Answer
Of course, shows like Game of Thrones and The Walking Dead have proven that TV fandoms will bend over backwards on fire in order to find out spoilery facts ahead of time. So for a high-profile project like a Breaking Bad movie to get filmed entirely in secret, without any exterior set photos clogging social media, it's nothing short of astonishing. So it's somewhat understandable that there are likely fans out there who don't know what to believe.
Naturally, the Breaking Bad movie's intence secrecy means that the general public doesn't know much more about what to expect for the characters' futures than it did in the weeks after Breaking Bad ended its five-season run on AMC. There are assumptions about Aaron Paul's Jesse as the lead, and about what his redemptive arc could entail, but not much else.
Will there be a major villain to contend with? Will the story be more of a quiet and reflective tale, or a loud and brash cacophony? Will Badger and Skinny Pete show up? Did the writers figure out a way to bring Bryan Cranston's Walter White back to the small screen for a flashback or dream sequence? Why no Walt Jr.?
Even though Bob Odenkirk did temper some of my curiosity about the actual existence of the Breaking Bad movie, now I find myself becoming more interested in learning more about how the filming process was kept so secretive. I hope against all hopes that AMC ends up releasing a behind-the-scenes documentary feature tracking the development and production processes. Give us everything!
Bob Odenkirk is just as excited for fans to see what happens in Better Call Saul Season 5, seeing as how he does know a lot more about what's happening on that show, as opposed to the Breaking Bad project. However, his description that "everything's on fire" in Season 5 does not promote any warm feelings about how happy Jimmy and Rhea Seehorn's Kim are going to be when the show returns in 2020. (Not a lot of warm feelings about Don Hector Salamanca or Lalo, either.)
Even though Bob Odenkirk soothed some worries by confirming Breaking Bad's movie is a thing that exists, we still have no concrete idea of when it will hit AMC and Netflix, so stay tuned for more information as it's unveiled. In the meantime, we can look forward to months of Better Call Saul conversations, with Season 5 likely taking Odenkirk's Jimmy fully into Saul Goodman territory. We're not sure when that will hit AMC either, but one can only hope it'll appear as early in 2020 as humanly possible.
