Long-awaited 'Breaking Bad' film coming soon

As a huge fan of Breaking Bad, it’s hard for me to explain why I didn’t start watching Better Call Saul until last weekend. Despite hearing positive things about the show — and strange looks from my friends when I’d say I hadn’t seen it — I was not quite ready to take that step.

It wasn’t for lack of access. The complete first season, on Blu-Ray, sat on my bookshelf for more than a year. Aside from that, I have long been aware that it was available on Netflix. I can only deduce that my reluctance to step back into that world — into the Albuquerque of Walter White and Saul Goodman — stemmed from a fear that it would somehow be sullied. 

Having now watched about two and a half seasons, I’m happy to report that it in no way has.

Honestly, I think I finally decided to settle in for my Better Call Saul bender in anticipation of the release of “El Camino” — the new Breaking Bad movie which hits Netflix on October 11. I wanted to be fully caught-up on Vince Gilligan’s Albuquerque opus.

“El Camino” was shrouded in secrecy as it was filmed in Albuquerque last winter. Adrian Gomez, the arts and entertainment editor at the Albuquerque Journal, reported last November that the long-rumored film was indeed in production. (Fun fact: Gomez previously worked for the Sun-News, and was one of my very first editors at “Pulse.”)

I reached out to Gomez this week to ask how he was able to confirm the film’s existence.

“Breaking bad is a cultural juggernaut and I had been covering it since 2010,” Gomez told me. “I had heard rumors about a potential film and started digging around. Of course, no one would talk.”

Later, Gomez was working on a story about show-creator Vince Gilligan, who was going to speak at the University of New Mexico.

“This is when I found out he was back in Albuquerque,” Gomez said. “I kept digging from there, and it was confirmed.”

Originally, the operating title of the film was “Greenbrier,” as Gomez reported last year. About three weeks ago, it was announced that the film — now titled “El Camino” — would debut on Netflix on October 11.  According to the New Mexico Film Office, the production employed about 300 New Mexico crew members, 16 New Mexico actors and approximately 450 New Mexico background talent, Gomez reported.

The new film will pick up where Breaking Bad left off with the series finale, and reportedly focuses on Jesse Pinkman’s struggle to put his past behind him as he attempts to build a future. Aside from Aaron Paul, who plays Pinkman, and Charles Baker (Skinny Pete), the film’s cast has not yet been revealed.

If, like me, you aren’t entirely caught up on the Gilligan oeuvre, perhaps you should consider filling in those gaps in preparation for the latest installment. Meanwhile, I’ll be on my sofa, finding out how Jimmy McGill became Saul Goodman.

Damien Willis is an unpaid columnist for Pulse, writing primarily about entertainment and pop culture. He may be reached at damienwillis@gmail.com or @damienwillis on Twitter.

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