As AMC's Better Call Saul nears its final season, we're getting to the end of a spinoff that has been just as good, if not a bit better at times, than its predecessor, Breaking Bad. With its end comes the question of whether or not Vince Gilligan will continue to expand on his show's universe with more stories and spinoffs, especially when actors like Giancarlo Esposito speak about ideas they've had for spinoffs with their characters.
Esposito has portrayed evil drug lord Gustavo Fring in both Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul, so, obviously, he has some thoughts as to his character's headspace. The actor shared his thoughts on a potential spinoff of Breaking Bad called The Rise Of Gus with Esquire, and how it would expand on the fearsome character who has haunted both franchises with his presence.
I have this whole storyline in the back of my head that he came from political royalty. I feel like Gus came from the world of order. And that his order came. He was a military man. Out of the military, he gained the ability to observe. You can't lead unless you can follow... In my brain, he was high up in a military government. He could have stayed there and ran the country. It was handed to him. But he chose a different path to be his own man and to find his own power, regardless of what he was handed. This is what he chose.
Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul teased Gus' past from when he was in South America, but to date neither series has given a full explanation as to how he became one of the biggest meth suppliers in the southwestern United States. Better Call Saul has told more about his story in regards to his dealings with the Salamancas and drug cartel, but teases about the character have revealed he was already a feared man before coming to America.
Past information from Breaking Bad alleged Gus Fring was a Chilean general under General Augusto Pinochet, but records from his time living there were scrubbed and couldn't be found by the DEA. Giancarlo Esposito's tease about the character's past may indicate he does know some things about the character, or he may just be going off the same information presented to the audience. In either case, the amount of backstory he gave the character has me optimistic that Vince Gilligan will one day revisit this man and his origins, though, given the events of Breaking Bad, it would have to be a prequel.
Esposito isn't the only person who has wanted a Gus Fring spinoff, and it would be fair to say there was some surprise he wasn't selected for a spinoff over lawyer Saul Goodman when the series was first announced. Gilligan's curveball move in telling a more minor character's story could mean that if there's another spinoff coming, it may be with another character more obscure than Fring. Maybe the next spinoff (if it happens) could be about Saul's secretary or a dirty cop drama about Jonathan Banks' Mike?
Better Call Saul Season 6 is slated to air on AMC in 2021. Continue to stick with CinemaBlend for more updates on the series, and for the latest news happening in television and movies.
