Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul star Giancarlo Esposito still believes there is more to explore with Gustavo Fring. The actor has not given up hope on Gus getting his own prequel series, though it doesn’t sound like that will happen anytime soon.
On several occasions, Esposito has spoken out about his desire to have a Gus-centric prequel series getting made. He revisited the idea in a new interview with Discussing Film, suggesting putting Gus at center stage would be a big move that would get fans tuning in. However, Esposito also noted how the Better Call Saul creators are busy with other projects at the moment, which doesn’t help with trying to get another Breaking Bad series made. Esposito also admitted that there’s a benefit in keeping Gus Fring’s backstory mysterious.
“AMC have been champions for Parish, and they were certainly champions for Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul, so I would consider that most certainly,” Esposito said of a spinoff. “I don’t have the power to greenlight a Gus Fring prequel, but I think that character deserves a little attention in that arena. Maybe I say that now because I’m confident that I could be at that number one spot and bring in viewers for an interesting story. It wouldn’t be anything without Vince Gilligan and Peter Gould, who was the showrunner on Better Call Saul. Have I mentioned it to Peter? I certainly have, but he wants to play in a different universe right now. Who knows what the future may hold, though? I feel like I’ve always wanted to tell Gus Fring’s backstory because I think we all want to know more about his complicated nature and how he came to be.”
“I feel like I’ve always wanted to tell Gus Fring’s backstory because I think we all want to know more about his complicated nature and how he came to be.”
Esposito went on to clarify how Gilligan told him that there’s a certain allure to the Gus Fring character with him having so many questions remaining about his story. Gilligan even noted how Esposito himself was essentially the one who created Gus, knowing the character’s true history better than anyone. Esposito agrees and feels that he wants to share this mysterious backstory with the fans, going all the way back to the childhood of the “chicken man” and what led to who he became later in life.
“Vince always credits me with creating Gus, and he’s told me that I created a whole world that only existed in Gus’ eyes,” Esposito explained. “Now, I want to be able to have that world exposed so that you can see more of who I am as a human being. You started to see it in Better Call Saul even more than in Breaking Bad because you got a stronger sense of who Gus truly was, how lonely he was, and how he fought to become who he is since childhood. All of those things as an actor, I would love to explore, but it’s out of my control. Would I return with this combination? Of course I would!”
Gus Fring Returned in Better Call Saul
Fans know how Gus Fring’s story ends, as it comes to an explosive conclusion in an acclaimed episode of Breaking Bad. Esposito returned as Gus in Better Call Saul, though he didn’t appear until halfway through the prequel series. The spinoff did fill out some of the blanks with Gus’ backstory, but there is still a lot that remains unknown about the character.
Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul are streaming on Netflix.
