'Breaking Bad' Spin-off: 'Saul' Actor Bob Odenkirk Says New Show Will Be 'Something Fresh' & Funny [VIDEO]
Actor Bob Odenkirk, who stars in the Breaking Bad spin-off Better Call Saul, said the new show will not be continuation of the Emmy Award-winning AMC series.
The series will revolve around Breaking Bad's character Saul (Odenkirk) and will essentially be a comedy. While Breaking Bad pursed some ingenious comedic strands, it was a complex drama that dealt with dark themes. The spin-off will be very dissimilar to the original show in other ways as well, according to the actor. He told fans to prepare for a new experience.
In an interview with Screen Rant, Odenkirk discussed the idea behind Better Call Saul and working with Vince Gilligan and Peter Gould, who are co-writing the show.
"Here's what I told Vince and Peter - Pete Gould is also writing that show - we're gonna make it fresh. It's not gonna be Breaking Bad 2.0 or whatever," he said. "It's a different show and it's gonna have a different energy and we're not gonna try to just extend Breaking Bad. That can't be done."
The spin-off will be appreciated on "its own terms" and not by its apparent predecessor, Odenkirk added.
"That show is great, it's done, it's all wrapped up and delivered, and now we're gonna do something fresh and new with a character that is rich and funny, and everyone's excited about it," he said. "And we wanna make sure the audience sees right away that it's not a continuation of Breaking Bad, but rather its own thing that hopefully is gonna be entertaining on its own terms."
Fans will be introduced to the more humane side of Saul -- who was usually perceived as a sleazy lawyer -- in Better Call Saul. The character will also be intricately shaded and treated with more complexity.
"I said I wanna have a little more sympathy for this guy. I wanna understand maybe how he's a human being and not just a hungry hippo trying to get all the money," Odenkirk said.
Producers of the show are aiming for an August or October release in 2014.
Watch this clip of some Odenkirk's best moments playing Saul on Breaking Bad:
