Bob Odenkirk has said he doesn’t expect Better Call Saul to make a return to screens anytime soon – but would jump at the chance if he was asked.
The actor, 62, cast doubt about a revival of the acclaimed Breaking Bad spin-off, which ran for six seasons between 2015 and 2022, telling Today that the show’s creators Vince Gilligan and Peter Gould have moved on.
“I think they’ve all moved on to some more amazing projects that you’ll soon see.”
But Odenkirk said he would be keen to reprise the role of scam artist/lawyer Saul Goodman if the opportunity arose in the future.
“They are some of the best writers who ever worked in TV,” he said. “So if they were to think of something in that world, of course I would do it.”
He added that if another season went ahead, Saul – who was handed an 86 year prison sentence in the 2022 series finale – wouldn’t be leaving jail anytime soon.
“He’s not getting out,” Odenkirk said. “If there’s another Saul show, it takes place inside prison.”
In the series finale titled “Saul Gone”, Saul takes responsibility for his years of criminal activity, including supporting Walter White’s (Bryan Cranston) drug operation, and is sentenced to spend the rest of his life in prison.
Better Call Saul followed the criminal defence attorney, born Jimmy McGill, who has ties to the criminal underworld.
Odenkirk said that playing the role had a huge impact on him personally and professionally, saying: “That part turned my life around, and I’ve given more to that part than anything I’ve done.”
But Odenkirk has recently revealed that he won’t miss the emotional weight of playing complicated criminal characters.
He told The Hollywood Reporter that after years of playing Saul, in addition to portraying a highly-skilled assassin in action film Nobody, he's “fine with moving on”.
“They’re guys who, for different reasons, have pretty big chips on their shoulders, and that’s hard to play after a while,” he explained. “You can’t just carry that guy around all the time.”
Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul fans have been delighted by the recent announcement that series co-creator Vince Gilligan is currently gearing up for the release of his forthcoming Apple TV+ sci-fi drama, Pluribus, which stars his Better Call Saul co-star Rhea Seehorn.
The show has been described as a genre-bending original in which the most miserable person on Earth must save the world from happiness. It will be released on 7 November.
