Better Call Saul (AMC, 2015) S: Odenkirk, Banks
#52
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re: Better Call Saul (AMC, Premieres 2014) S:Odenkirk
I'd be on board with this, if and only if Vince Gilligan and his entire writing staff from BB agree to join as well.
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re: Better Call Saul (AMC, Premieres 2014) S:Odenkirk
Is it just me, or does anyone else think this is a ruse of Gilligan's to throw us all off of what's really gonna happen with the series finale?!?! This just seems like a huge joke!
#54
DVD Talk Special Edition
re: Better Call Saul (AMC, Premieres 2014) S:Odenkirk
I just can't imagine Saul getting offed though...he's very much the 'cockroach' in that he'll manage to get through anything
#55
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#59
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Thread Starter
re: Better Call Saul (AMC, Premieres 2014) S:Odenkirk
From this HR article: http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/new...reveals-648425
Gilligan knows he could be setting up himself -- and his fans -- for the disappointment he so ably dodged by making his next project a continuation of his last one.
"There's obviously a danger inherent in doing a spinoff, but I just love the character of Saul Goodman [Bob Odenkirk] so much, and part of me doesn't want to say no to this world," he says of the prequel, acknowledging that he's familiar with the potential pitfalls of a follow-up, having worked on the X-Files spinoff, The Lone Gunmen, which was met with critical derision and a quick ax after 13 episodes back in 2001.
Better Call Saul initially was conceived as a half-hour sitcom until Gilligan and Gould, who created the character during season two, realized they weren't comfortable with a certain number of jokes-per-page format. "We're both one-hour drama guys," he says, but more to the point, they realized that so much of what they enjoyed about Breaking Bad was the show's visual elements. "So we figured, 'Why not shoot Saul in the same way?' Let's shoot it in Albuquerque, let's get as much of the crew back together as possible, and let's do it the way we did it before so that it will be of a piece with that pre-existing fictional universe that we had so much fun creating."
While they're still working through plot, they anticipate the series being set in an office with a much lighter tone than that of its predecessor. If Bad was 75 percent dramatic and 25 percent comedic, Saul will be the opposite. The challenge has been finding the dramatic tension in their lead character. Unlike Walter White, who was damaged and needy, Saul has been portrayed as happy-go-lucky until now. Says Gilligan, "We've had to find the ongoing itch that Saul needs to scratch, so to speak, or else we wouldn't have much of a show." The pair made a formal pitch this summer to AMC, which haggled with Sony over money for longer than expected before ultimately deciding to move forward at the eleventh hour. Others, led by Netflix, WGN America and FX, were ready to pounce had the flagship's network passed.
Both Cranston and Aaron Paul, in addition to some of Bad's other actors, have expressed interest in making appearances, which Gilligan intends to make happen. "Personally, I'd have a hard time resisting putting all these guys in for a cameo or two every now and then," he says, smiling at the very thought. He and Gould would like to lure at least a few of the other writers, too, with Bad writer's assistant Gordon Smith already on board. (They'll need to begin staffing up soon as the tentative plan is to have Saul on the air sometime between August and October.) Gilligan says he envisions being in the writers room full-time, at least for the first season, and already is slated to direct the pilot. Once Saul has found its footing, he'll turn his focus to other projects -- assuming he is able to detach.
To this point, Gilligan has not dabbled in the J.J. Abrams school of hands-off producing. "I'm a big control freak," he confesses, suggesting that finding a way to relinquish some control on certain projects will be an important part of his post-Bad chapter. (Bad was the antithesis of that, with Gilligan acknowledging he had "a hand in every decision I could humanly make.") In an e-mail to Abrams, Gilligan, who has never met Abrams in person, told the prolific producer that he wishes he were more like him in his ability to have so many plates spinning at once. "I look at what J.J.'s built and say, 'I would like to do that,' " says Gilligan of Abrams' Bad Robot empire, still unsure if there's a place where he can be effective between fully enmeshed and entirely out of the picture.
"There's obviously a danger inherent in doing a spinoff, but I just love the character of Saul Goodman [Bob Odenkirk] so much, and part of me doesn't want to say no to this world," he says of the prequel, acknowledging that he's familiar with the potential pitfalls of a follow-up, having worked on the X-Files spinoff, The Lone Gunmen, which was met with critical derision and a quick ax after 13 episodes back in 2001.
Better Call Saul initially was conceived as a half-hour sitcom until Gilligan and Gould, who created the character during season two, realized they weren't comfortable with a certain number of jokes-per-page format. "We're both one-hour drama guys," he says, but more to the point, they realized that so much of what they enjoyed about Breaking Bad was the show's visual elements. "So we figured, 'Why not shoot Saul in the same way?' Let's shoot it in Albuquerque, let's get as much of the crew back together as possible, and let's do it the way we did it before so that it will be of a piece with that pre-existing fictional universe that we had so much fun creating."
While they're still working through plot, they anticipate the series being set in an office with a much lighter tone than that of its predecessor. If Bad was 75 percent dramatic and 25 percent comedic, Saul will be the opposite. The challenge has been finding the dramatic tension in their lead character. Unlike Walter White, who was damaged and needy, Saul has been portrayed as happy-go-lucky until now. Says Gilligan, "We've had to find the ongoing itch that Saul needs to scratch, so to speak, or else we wouldn't have much of a show." The pair made a formal pitch this summer to AMC, which haggled with Sony over money for longer than expected before ultimately deciding to move forward at the eleventh hour. Others, led by Netflix, WGN America and FX, were ready to pounce had the flagship's network passed.
Both Cranston and Aaron Paul, in addition to some of Bad's other actors, have expressed interest in making appearances, which Gilligan intends to make happen. "Personally, I'd have a hard time resisting putting all these guys in for a cameo or two every now and then," he says, smiling at the very thought. He and Gould would like to lure at least a few of the other writers, too, with Bad writer's assistant Gordon Smith already on board. (They'll need to begin staffing up soon as the tentative plan is to have Saul on the air sometime between August and October.) Gilligan says he envisions being in the writers room full-time, at least for the first season, and already is slated to direct the pilot. Once Saul has found its footing, he'll turn his focus to other projects -- assuming he is able to detach.
To this point, Gilligan has not dabbled in the J.J. Abrams school of hands-off producing. "I'm a big control freak," he confesses, suggesting that finding a way to relinquish some control on certain projects will be an important part of his post-Bad chapter. (Bad was the antithesis of that, with Gilligan acknowledging he had "a hand in every decision I could humanly make.") In an e-mail to Abrams, Gilligan, who has never met Abrams in person, told the prolific producer that he wishes he were more like him in his ability to have so many plates spinning at once. "I look at what J.J.'s built and say, 'I would like to do that,' " says Gilligan of Abrams' Bad Robot empire, still unsure if there's a place where he can be effective between fully enmeshed and entirely out of the picture.
#60
DVD Talk Legend
re: Better Call Saul (AMC, Premieres 2014) S:Odenkirk
This show may or may not be any good. We all know how hard spin-offs are to pull off. But I am confident that Vince and his crew know that they had a masterpiece in Breaking Bad, so they will avoid doing anything that can 'ruin' the original in anyway.
So yeah I'm all game for old characters returning knowing that Vince will handle it well.
So yeah I'm all game for old characters returning knowing that Vince will handle it well.
#61
Moderator
re: Better Call Saul (AMC, Premieres 2014) S:Odenkirk
I still can't believe this is actually moving forward. Glad to hear Gilligan plans to be on board for season 1.
#62
DVD Talk Legend
re: Better Call Saul (AMC, Premieres 2014) S:Odenkirk
Eh, I'd much rather get a cerebral drama from Giligan but I'd check this out regardless.
#63
Moderator
re: Better Call Saul (AMC, Premieres 2014) S:Odenkirk
^ Isn't Gilligan planning to develop a network drama next fall as well? I recall reading it was from an old idea of his that is being pursued again given his recent success. Not sure how "cerebral" it'll be though if greenlit.
#64
DVD Talk God
re: Better Call Saul (AMC, Premieres 2014) S:Odenkirk
Yes, Battle Creek. CBS already ordered it to series. However. David Shore, who created House, will be showrunner, not Gilligan.
#65
DVD Talk Legend
re: Better Call Saul (AMC, Premieres 2014) S:Odenkirk
I mentioned this in one of the BB threads, but I'd rather see a 'Saul in Nebraska' follow-up from where we last saw him than a prequel with the same old law office in the same city.
#66
DVD Talk Hero
re: Better Call Saul (AMC, Premieres 2014) S:Odenkirk
I just want it to be good.
#67
re: Better Call Saul (AMC, Premieres 2014) S:Odenkirk
Well, I'm not a big fan of this spin off, but Gilligan has said he'd like to see Cranston and Paul return once in a while for cameos, so that has me intrigued.
I guess one thing I might find interesting is essentially setting "Better Call Saul" in the world of season 2 of "Breaking Bad." This way, we get to see what Saul was up to every time he wasn't getting panicked phone calls from Walt. And you're able to have characters like Walt and Jesse pop up once in a blue moon, too.
I guess one thing I might find interesting is essentially setting "Better Call Saul" in the world of season 2 of "Breaking Bad." This way, we get to see what Saul was up to every time he wasn't getting panicked phone calls from Walt. And you're able to have characters like Walt and Jesse pop up once in a blue moon, too.
#68
DVD Talk Limited Edition
re: Better Call Saul (AMC, Premieres 2014) S:Odenkirk
Well, I'm not a big fan of this spin off, but Gilligan has said he'd like to see Cranston and Paul return once in a while for cameos, so that has me intrigued.
I guess one thing I might find interesting is essentially setting "Better Call Saul" in the world of season 2 of "Breaking Bad." This way, we get to see what Saul was up to every time he wasn't getting panicked phone calls from Walt. And you're able to have characters like Walt and Jesse pop up once in a blue moon, too.
I guess one thing I might find interesting is essentially setting "Better Call Saul" in the world of season 2 of "Breaking Bad." This way, we get to see what Saul was up to every time he wasn't getting panicked phone calls from Walt. And you're able to have characters like Walt and Jesse pop up once in a blue moon, too.
#69
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re: Better Call Saul (AMC, Premieres 2014) S:Odenkirk
If those guys are going to have cameos, I think they'll be doing it that way. For some reason I was thinking this would be before the events of BB and didn't occur to me that it could go on DURING the events of BB.
#70
DVD Talk Legend
re: Better Call Saul (AMC, Premieres 2014) S:Odenkirk
Although I agree it'd be hilarious to see Saul actually managing a Cinnibon at a mall in Omaha, I'm sure the premise would wear thin after a few episodes. That, and he wouldn't be called Saul anymore since he had to change his name.
#71
re: Better Call Saul (AMC, Premieres 2014) S:Odenkirk
With these cameos mentioned, Mike can definitely be a part of the show, and Gus as a remote possibility. Kirby and Huell too (though we don't see them until later in BB). I'm guessing the receptionist ALS might show up.
#72
DVD Talk Legend
re: Better Call Saul (AMC, Premieres 2014) S:Odenkirk
It would be hilarious if we see Saul doing his own thing and Walt or Jesse just randomly burst in out of no where and ruin his day.
#73
Senior Member
re: Better Call Saul (AMC, Premieres 2014) S:Odenkirk
You'll be happy to know Gilligan since they'll be using a different set, so it won't be the same office.
Although I agree it'd be hilarious to see Saul actually managing a Cinnibon at a mall in Omaha, I'm sure the premise would wear thin after a few episodes. That, and he wouldn't be called Saul anymore since he had to change his name.
Although I agree it'd be hilarious to see Saul actually managing a Cinnibon at a mall in Omaha, I'm sure the premise would wear thin after a few episodes. That, and he wouldn't be called Saul anymore since he had to change his name.
The series is all in the past, never revisiting the future.
And then when the final episode airs, back to Nebraska for the last scene.
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#75
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re: Better Call Saul (AMC, Premieres 2014) S:Odenkirk
dex 14, Can you change this thread title to "Better Call Saul" to premiere on AMC in 2014 or something like that.
http://www.deadline.com/2013/12/netf...ter-call-saul/
Anyways, Netflix has signed a deal with Sony Pictures to stream Better Call Saul after the season completes airing on AMC. So for those who have Netflix, but don't subscribe to cable, if you can wait a few extra months after it airs on AMC, this might be your best option instead of pirating the episodes or buying it a la carte.
http://www.deadline.com/2013/12/netf...ter-call-saul/
Anyways, Netflix has signed a deal with Sony Pictures to stream Better Call Saul after the season completes airing on AMC. So for those who have Netflix, but don't subscribe to cable, if you can wait a few extra months after it airs on AMC, this might be your best option instead of pirating the episodes or buying it a la carte.