A Breaking Bad sequel written and directed by series creator Vince Gilligan is on the way, but in true Breaking Bad fashion, there’s a twist: Reports indicate that the upcoming project, code-named “Greenbriar,” might hit Netflix before it airs on AMC.
That would be a big change. Every episode of Breaking Bad‘s initial five-season run debuted on AMC and only made their way to Netflix later. That’s not the only surprise that Deadline has in store, either. While previous reports described Greenbriar as a movie, Deadline claims that the project’s final format is still unknown. The Breaking Bad sequel is being shot like a film, but it might be broken up into a series of individual episodes before it airs. Either way, that makes it sound like Greenbriar will be a small-screen production, and not a theatrically released feature.
Like the television series, Greenbriar is being filmed in Albuquerque, New Mexico, and will be about “the escape of a kidnapped man and his quest for freedom.” Slashfilm reports that the man in question is Jesse Pinkman, who will be played once again by Aaron Paul. Greenbriar will focus on the former meth cook attempts to rebuild his life after escaping from both the drug cartel and the white supremacists who kidnapped him in Breaking Bad‘s final season, Slashfilm says.
Jesse might not be the only familiar Breaking Bad character returning in the movie, either. Bryan Cranston will reprise his role as the teacher-turned-kingpin Walter White according to rumors shared by Revenge of the Fans. It’s not clear how accurate Revenge of the Fans’ reporting is, but if its story holds up, Breaking Bad fans can look forward to seeing almost all of their favorite characters return. According to the site, Jessica Jones star Krysten Ritter, Jonathan Banks, Jesse Plemons, and Charles “Skinny Pete” Baker and Matt “Badger” Jones will all be back for the next big chapter of the Breaking Bad saga.
It’s not clear how the rumored cast list fits into that timeline, especially since many of the characters making their alleged returns in “Greenbrier” died before Breaking Bad ended. However, Breaking Bad made liberal use of flashbacks during its five-season run, and the film could follow suit. The project could also be some kind of prequel.
Production on Greenbriar began in November 2018 and is expected to continue through February 2019.
Premiering in January 2008, Breaking Bad followed high-school chemistry teacher Walter White, who, after being diagnosed with lung cancer and given just a few years to live, decides to secure his family’s financial future by manufacturing and selling crystallized methamphetamine (crystal meth). He recruits former student Jesse Pinkman to get a foothold in the local drug trade, only to be pulled deeper and deeper into an increasingly dangerous environment as he tangles with drug kingpins, law enforcement, and a variety of other threats to both himself and his family.
Over the course of five record-setting seasons, Breaking Bad won 16 Primetime Emmy Awards and two Peabody Awards, among a long list of other accolades, and was named the most critically acclaimed show of all time by Guinness World Records in 2013. A spinoff series following Walter’s morally flexible attorney, titled Better Call Saul, premiered in February 2015 and was recently renewed for a fifth season on AMC.
Updated on February 15, 2019: Added information about where “Greenbriar” might air and what format it might take.
