A Breaking Bad Sequel Movie Isn’t Worth Ruining 2 Perfect Character Arcs

Summary

• A Breaking Bad sequel risks ruining Walter White’s redemption story and undermining Jimmy McGill’s sacrifice at the end of Better Call Saul.
• Reviving Walt for a full sequel movie would undo the perfect endings these characters received in their respective journeys.
• The only way to continue the Breaking Bad franchise without jeopardizing its legacy is to explore Gus Fring’s backstory in a prequel spinoff.

While a Breaking Bad sequel sounds like an exciting idea, the project would be guaranteed to ruin the franchise’s two best character arcs. Although all of Breaking Bad’s characters were memorable, the show was ultimately Walter White’s story. The mild-mannered chemistry teacher who became a chilling meth kingpin sat at the center of Breaking Bad‘s universe, with follow-ups El Camino and Better Call Saul illustrating how his actions impacted the lives of those around him. Through his highs and lows, viewers followed Heisenberg throughout Breaking Bad’s five seasons, before Better Call Saul‘s cast put Jimmy McGill in the leading role.

Despite this, the conversation around a potential Breaking Bad sequel continues. A viral fan-made Heisenberg poster from March 2024 may not have been the genuine project it was mistaken for, but the post’s popularity proves a genuine desire for a follow-up to Breaking Bad exists. A Breaking Bad sequel could reveal that Walt survived, and show him picking up the pieces of his meth empire, but doing so would involve ruining two perfect character arcs, and simply isn’t worth the risk.

A Breaking Bad Sequel Movie Risks Ruining Walter White & Jimmy McGill’s Character Arcs

A Follow-Up To Breaking Bad Could Ruin Walt & Jimmy’s Redemption Stories

A Breaking Bad sequel would ruin both the original series and Better Call Saul because Walter White’s and Jimmy McGill’s arcs would lose their meanings. Both characters strive for redemption at the end of their respective journeys, which provides a perfect ending for each. If Walt lived in a Breaking Bad sequel, his redemption would become irrelevant, and this would also undermine Jimmy’s Better Call Saul ending. Jimmy going to jail after admitting his pivotal role in Walt’s empire was a shock precisely because he dodged responsibility for so long. A Heisenberg Breaking Bad sequel would make that sacrifice pointless and ruin Jimmy’s story.

Both Walt and Jimmy were doomed to the fates that they received, but both also paradoxically received a modicum of redemption in the ending of their stories. Walt’s fate was more final, but even in his last moments, he saved the life of his friend and wiped out a gang of Neo-Nazis. Meanwhile, Jimmy essentially killed off his Saul Goodman persona when he told the truth at trial and accepted his sentence in the series finale of Better Call Saul. If Heisenberg were to return, Jimmy would be dragged into the new narrative one way or another.

Why A Breaking Bad Sequel Movie Shouldn’t Happen

A Sequel Would Jeopardize The Legacies Of Breaking Bad & Better Call Saul

The ending of Breaking Bad was as close to redemption as Walter White could get without betraying his character completely. Similarly, Jimmy McGill’s redemption came at the expense of his freedom, with the shady lawyer ending up in prison by the time the series reached its finale. A Breaking Bad sequel would need to undo Walt and Jimmy’s fitting fates, and it would be almost impossible for the follow-up to give the franchise’s two main antiheroes better endings than they already had. Their stories work perfectly as they are.

El Camino and Better Call Saul‘s future timeline already provided as much of a continuation as Breaking Bad needed. Reviving Walt for a full Breaking Bad sequel movie would be a much riskier proposition, doomed to failure from the very start. The fact that both El Camino and Better Call Saul lived up to the quality of their esteemed predecessor was a miraculous feat in an industry where most spinoffs are pale imitations of what came before. A Breaking Bad sequel starring Walter white would risk returning to the same well one too many times and finally ending that impressive streak.

There’s Only 1 Way To Continue The Breaking Bad Franchise After Better Call Saul

Gus Fring’s Backstory Could Expand The Show’s Universe Without Ruining Any Other Arcs

There is one way for the Breaking Bad franchise to continue its saga, and this would not affect the arcs of Walt or Jimmy. A Gus Fring prequel is the only spinoff that would work, since it would highlight a fan-favorite character without ruining what came before. Gus Fring was Walt’s most popular nemesis by far, and his memorable villainy is perfectly suited to a more sympathetic prequel. Moreover, a Gus Fring-focused spinoff wouldn’t risk hurting Breaking Bad‘s existing storyline, since viewers already know how Gus’ life ends.

On the other hand, this could make Gus Fring’s spinoff a tough sell. Jimmy’s fate was left ambiguous by Breaking Bad‘s ending, giving Better Call Saul room to expand. In contrast, even though Giancarlo Esposito’s villain is one of the show’s most memorable creations, the fact that viewers know how he dies could make a Breaking Bad prequel starring Gus Fring pointless.