Better Call Saul is bringing one of the most popular Breaking Bad characters back from the dead.
(Warning: Don’t read on if you haven’t finished the Breaking Bad series, as there are spoilers ahead).
Jonathan Banks, who played the private investigator and hitman Mike Ehrmantraut on the show before falling wrath to Heisenberg, has signed on to be part of the Breaking Bad spinoff.
While he isn’t exactly being resurrected for the show — Better Call Saul is billed as a prequel to Breaking Bad — the addition of Jonathan Banks is a boon to the show.
Better Call Saul focuses on slimy but unflappable criminal lawyer Saul Goodman. The show was conceived by Breaking Bad creator Vince Gilligan and is being written by Breaking Bad writer-producer Peter Gould.
In Breaking Bad , Mike Ehrmantraut was a private investigator for Saul Goodman. A former Philadelphia police officer, Mike also worked as head of security for Los Pollos Hermanos and enforcer for drug kingpin Gus Fring.
After Gus was killed by Walter White — who was moving into full “Heisenberg” mode — Mike jumped on board with Walt and Jesse for their own spinoff operation. As the DEA closed in on the new drug ring, Walt ended up killing Mike.
So far Bob Odenkirk and Jonathan Banks are the only actors officially on board for Better Call Saul , but others have expressed interest as well. Aaron Paul , who played Jesse Pinkman, said he was having “withdrawal” from the show and wants to be included in the spinoff.
“We’re all having withdrawals. It was such a beautiful, functional family that we didn’t want to leave one another, and we’re still very close,” Paul recently explained , adding, “I’d better be in Better Call Saul . I hope so. I’ve definitely thrown my name in the hat. That’s what’s so great about Better Call Saul — it’s a prequel, so all the characters that had died in the past seasons can come back to life.”
Better Call Saul is set to debut on AMC in November .
