Breaking Bad movie reportedly in the works
After much speculation, the “Breaking Bad” movie will begin filming soon in Albuquerque.
According to the New Mexico Film Office, the movie “Greenbrier” will begin production in the Duke City mid-November through early February.
The film office wouldn’t confirm or deny that the project was a “Breaking Bad” film.
But a source close to the project confirmed the production.
According to the logline, “Greenbrier” tracks the escape of a kidnapped man and his quest for freedom.
“We are happy to welcome ‘Greenbrier’ and Sony Studios to New Mexico,” said New Mexico State Film Office Director Nick Maniatis. “For years, we’ve built up the film industry in New Mexico and strengthened our film incentives; now, we’re seeing success after success for the film industry in our state.”
According to the N.M. Film Office, the production will employ approximately 300 N.M. crew members, 16 N.M. actors and approximately 450 N.M. background talent.
This is the first project for Vince Gilligan – who created “Breaking Bad” and co-created the spinoff, “Better Call Saul” – after signing a three-year deal with Sony Pictures Television in July.
The move to stay with Sony comes at a time when A-list showrunners are being courted by Netflix and other streaming services for production pacts.
Details on which characters will be returning from the TV series to the film have not been released.
The Emmy Award-winning series was set and filmed in Albuquerque for six years.
“Breaking Bad” is the story of Walter H. White, played by Bryan Cranston, a struggling high school chemistry teacher who is diagnosed with advanced lung cancer at the beginning of the series.
He turns to a life of crime, producing and selling methamphetamine with a former student, Jesse Pinkman, played by Aaron Paul, with the aim of securing his family’s financial future before he dies.
The series is a cultural juggernaut – 10 years after it aired its first episode.
The New Mexico film industry and Sony Pictures Television have worked together on both “Breaking Bad” and “Better Call Saul.”
Sources tell The Hollywood Reporter that Breaking Bad creator Vince Gilligan is working on a two-hour movie, though it remains unclear if that will be released theatrically or made for television.
Representatives for Gilligan and Breaking Bad producers Sony Pictures Television did not immediately respond to THR‘s requests for comment.
Details on the project, which has been floating around the industry with a possible fake/working title of Greenbrier, are slim. It’s unclear if the movie would be another prequel — like AMC’s Better Call Saul — or a follow-up of some sort. It’s also unclear is if any of the original stars, such as Bryan Cranston or Aaron Paul, are involved in the new project, which sources stress will be set in the existing Breaking Bad franchise.
Gilligan, sources say, will pen the script, executive produce and possibly direct. Breaking Bad and prequel series Better Call Saul exec producers Mark Johnson and Melissa Bernstein are also said to be attached to the film project, which is said to follow the escape of a kidnapped man and his quest for freedom. Production is expected to begin this month in New Mexico. The New Mexico Film Office confirmed that a project with the title of Greenbrier is slated to shoot in in the region.
Breaking Bad became a critical breakout for AMC and ran for five seasons. AMC and producers Sony TV quickly greenlighted the prequel Better Call Saul as Gilligan’s follow-up series. Saul, featuring Bob Odenkirk’s small-time lawyer, has been renewed for a fifth season, which set to air in 2019.
The Breaking Bad movie would mark Gilligan’s first project to stem from the new three-year overall deal he signed with Sony TV in July. Sources said the pact is valued at less than $50 million as Gilligan is not in the same volume space as producers like Shonda Rhimes and Ryan Murphy, who both signed nine-figure deals with Netflix.
A Breaking Bad film (of any sort) would be a boon for Sony TV, which, as an independent studio, has been fighting an uphill battle in an era when ownership has become increasingly important.
Gilligan’s new deal keeps one of television’s most respected showrunners in the business at the studio, which continues to focus on cable and streaming deals after a dismal upfront season in which it landed one new series on the five broadcast networks.
Cranston on Wednesday appeared on The Dan Patrick Show to confirm THR‘s reporting that there is indeed a Breaking Bad movie of some sorts in the works and that creator Gilligan has reached out to him about it. Cranston said in the interview (watch here) that he’d be interested in being part of the project but doesn’t know if his iconic character Walter White would be included in it.
