Itโs been three long years since fans saw Bob Odenkirk play the cunning and charismatic character of Saul Goodman in โBetter Call Saul.โ Now, the Emmy Award-winning actor is opening up to TODAY.com about what it would take to reprise his iconic role.
Odenkirkโs character, who was first introduced in the Bryan Cranston-led crime drama โBreaking Bad,โ received a spinoff series in 2015 that served as an origin story for Saul Goodman. It followed the Albuquerque, New Mexico criminal defense attorney, born Jimmy McGill, and his transformation from aspiring lawyer to the ambitious, and at times morally ambiguous, lawyer with ties to the criminal underworld.
Created and executive produced by Vince Gilligan and Peter Gould, the same team behind โBreaking Bad,โ โBetter Call Saulโ ended with Odenkirkโs character serving an 86-year prison sentence after confessing to his crimes, which included supporting Walter White (Cranston)โs drug operation and acknowledging the role he played in his brother Howardโs death.
In an exclusive interview with TODAY.com on Aug. 14, Odenkirk shares his thoughts on a โBetter Call Saulโ follow-up and details on his character’s specific storyline.
โHeโs not getting out (of prison). If thereโs another Saul show, it takes place inside prison,โ he says emphatically, noting that the story would follow Saul’s life behind bars.
Odenkirk, who has played Saul Goodman for over a decade while on both AMC series, recognizes the impact his character has had on him both personally and professionally. โThat part turned my life around, and Iโve given more to that part than anything Iโve done, โ he says.
He’s also aware of the strain it’s put on him, telling The Hollywood Reporter that after years of playing Saul, in addition to his โNobodyโ character of Hutch, a highly-skilled assassin, he’s โfine with moving onโ from them.
โTheyโre guys who, for different reasons, have pretty big chips on their shoulders, and thatโs hard to play after a while,โ Odenkirk told the outlet. โYou canโt just carry that guy around all the time.โ
But, Odenkirk reveals to TODAY.com, a “Better Call Saul” revival is not out of the question. The actor exclusively tells us what it would take for him to reprise his โBetter Call Saulโ character and jump back into that universe.
โVince Gilligan and Peter Gould created that show. There are some of the best writers who ever worked in TV,โ he says. โSo if they were to think of something in that world, of course I would do it.โ
Though Odenkirk admits he would be up for the challenge, he feels it might be bit of a long shot.
โBut I donโt think so,โ he says of a โBetter Call Saulโ sequel or spinoff happening. โI think theyโve all moved on to some more amazing projects that youโll soon see.โ
Odenkirk is referring to Gilliganโs new Apple TV+ sci-fi drama called โPluribus,โ which stars his โBetter Call Saulโ co-star Rhea Seehorn.
The series, which has already been picked up for two seasons by Apple TV+, is described as a โpsychological sci-fi drama set in a reimagined version of modern-day Albuquerque.โ Though official plot details have not yet been released, Odenkirk tells TODAY.com that the new show is โgoing to be a great one.โ
โLook forward to the best written show on TV for years to come,โ he teases of the new series.
While fans will have to wait until November 7 to see โPluribusโ hit the small screen, Odenkirkโs new action film, โNobody 2,โ is now available in theaters nationwide.
(โNobody 2,โ a Universal film, is owned by TODAY.comโs parent company, NBCUniversal.)
