Fans of BREAKING BAD should be just a little bit happier now. The highly-anticipated spinoff series BETTER CALL SAUL, which will star Bob Odenkirk as “Saul Goodman” as the leading character, has just added another favorite character from the recently ended AMC series. Jonathan Banks, who played hitman Mike Ehrmantraut, will be on the new show. AMC network representatives and Sony Pictures Television confirmed to THR that Banks will be a series regular in the Albuquerque-set prequel series. A few months ago, BREAKING BAD creator Vince Gilligan had been quoted to say:
There’s obviously a danger inherent in doing a spinoff, but I just love the character of Saul Goodman [Bob Odenkirk] so much, and part of me doesn’t want to say no to this world. Personally, I’d have a hard time resisting putting all these guys in for a cameo or two every now and then.
If you watched BREAKING BAD from start to end, you may recall (SPOILER if you haven’t seen it) that Mike died after being shot by Walter White (Bryan Cranston) toward the end of the series, but since BETTER CALL SAUL takes place before Walter’s escapades, Mike can live all the way through the new show. Now fans are left to wonder if we’ll see cameos from other characters, or even Bryan Cranston or Aaron Paul, who are still possibilities. The new series is set to hit this November, though no specific date has been announced yet. While backstage at the Golden Globes, Vince Gilligan told reporters this about the new show:
We are plugging away on Better Call Saul — in our fourth week in the writers’ room on that — and [executive producer] Peter Gould and I will be hitting up all these wonderful actors for cameos at some point. We have to figure out how to work that out, story-wise.
Banks can currently be seen on COMMUNITY, and was actually nominated for an Emmy Award last year for his work on BREAKING BAD. Some folks may also remember him as the nasty henchman in the original BEVERLY HILLS COP. I for one am thrilled at this news, as Mike is one of my favorite supporting characters from BREAKING BAD. I’m currently showing the entire series to my mother, who never saw any of it, and we’re halfway through season four, which involved Mike heavily. Even she likes him as a character. I can’t wait for BETTER CALL SAUL, and we’ll keep ya posted on other news regarding the new series.
Born and raised in Dallas, Mark has been a movie critic since 1994, with reviews featured in print, radio and National TV. In 2001 he started the Entertainment section of the Herorealm website, where he contributed film reviews and celebrity interviews until 2004. After three years of service there, he started Bigfanboy.com, which has become one of the Dallas film community's leading information websites. Bigfanboy hosts several movie screenings in the Texas area, and works closely with film and TV studios and promotional partners to host exciting events and contests. The site also features a variety of rare celebrity and filmmaker interviews, and Bigfanboy.com regularly covers the film festival circuit as well. In addition to Hollywood reporting, Mark has worked for many years as an advertising and sci-fi/comic book artist. Clients have included Lucasfilm Ltd., Topps Trading Cards, The Dallas Mavericks and The Dallas Stars. From 2002 until 2015 he managed the Dallas Comic Con, Sci-Fi Expo and Fan Days events in the DFW area. He currently catalogs rare comic books and movie memorabilia for Heritage Auctions, and runs the Dallas Comic Show conventions, but remains an avid moviegoer and cinema buff. 
