Breaking Bad Spinoff About Gus Fring Could Be Very Interesting, Giancarlo Esposito Says
Giancarlo Esposito, who played Gus Fring on Breaking Bad and the prequel series Better Call Saul, has said he wants to pitch a show called "The Rise of Gus." This would be a prequel series that reveals more of the drug kingpin's past, he told Variety recently.
"I think eventually there should be, and there might be" a spinoff focused on Fring, Esposito said. "I have a lot of premises I like to push. If I was talking to Vince Gilligan right now, I would tell him, 'The Rise of Gus.'"
Gilligan is currently making a sci-fi show for Apple, and Esposito said he understands Gilligan is busy with this project for the time being. But later on, Esposito said he hopes Gilligan circles back with Esposito and agrees to make another Breaking Bad show.
The Rise of Gus could be a "very interesting" series, Esposito said, in part because it could show off and explain how Fring rose through the ranks in Chile and more of his family background.
For his part, Gilligan has said he is probably done with additional Breaking Bad spinoffs after making the main show, Better Call Saul, and the Netflix movie El Camino. That being said, Gilligan acknowledged that if his new show flops, he might come back.
"I don't want to beat a dead horse. I look around and see other storytelling worlds--I'm not going to name names--that feel like, 'Boy, they are really sucking that last dime out of that franchise.' I'd hate to see that happen with Breaking Bad," Gilligan said. "I'd rather err on the side of leaving the party too soon than too late. But never say never. That's just how I feel right now, but who knows down the line."
As for his new show, Gilligan's Apple project stars Better Call Saul's Rhea Seehorn. The show takes place in Albuquerque, New Mexico--just like Breaking Bad--and Episode 1 sounds like it'll be very dramatic.
"The world changes very abruptly in the first episode, and then it is quite different. It's the modern world--the world we live in--but it changes very abruptly," Gilligan said. "And the consequences that that reaps hopefully provide drama for many, many episodes after that. I'm nervous. It'll be interesting to see how folks react to it."
