With Breaking Bad coming to a close this summer, AMC is apparently desperately looking for a way to keep cashing in on its success.  While many would say Mad Men is currently the best show on television, I’ve always given the edge to Breaking Bad, which is just as cinematic and full of visual metaphor, yet also has the fantastic ability to make viewers want to reach for anti-anxiety medication.

The considered spin off would star Saul Goodman (Bob Odenkirk), and series creator Vince Gilligan would be on board to create this new Saul-centered world, which could be a half-hour comedy.  Hit the jump for more possibilities.

One of the best television shows in history will sadly come to an end this summer as Breaking Bad wraps up its final season on AMC.  The network has released a new featurette for the last batch of 8 episodes that takes fans behind-the-scenes of the show, and it’s a total tease.  The video doesn’t reveal anything at all about the final run of episodes (which is a good thing), but we do see the castmembers talking quite cryptically about what’s to come.  The fifth season was split up into two batches of eight episodes, so I assume this upcoming run plays like the final half of one season rather than an entire new season.

Though we don’t know much plot-wise about the final episodes, we do know that Bryan Cranston directs the first episode back, Looper director Rian Johnson thankfully returns to helm another installment, and creator/showrunner Vince Gilligan wrote and directs the series finale.  Hit the jump to watch the featurette.  Breaking Bad is expected to return sometime in July, so hold on to your butts, folks. 

The first images from the R-rated comedy omnibus Movie 43 have gone online.  The film has been in development for years since it takes a while to find time in the schedules of a gigantic cast whose ranks include Emma Stone, Hugh Jackman, Kate Winslet, Naomi Watts, Terrence Howard, Halle Berry, and Jason Sudeikis just to name a few.  The films in the collection were directed by Brett Ratner, Elizabeth Banks, Mike Judge, Peter Farrelly, Bob Odenkirk, Steve Baker, Damon Escot, and more.  While I’m sure the collection will be a mixed bag, these images show off the potential for some hilarious short films.  There will also be a major plotline, but Farrelly, who also produced the film with Charlie Wessler, wouldn’t tell EW what it is.

Hit the jump to check out the images and to learn about some of the plots.  The film also stars Gerard Butler, Kristen Bell, Chloe Moretz, Josh Duhamel, Johnny Knoxville, Elizabeth Banks, Christopher Mintz-Plasse, Richard Gere, Anna Faris, Justin Long, Liev Schreiber, Uma Thurman, Seann William Scott, Kieran Culkin, Leslie Bibb, Jimmy Bennett, Ricky Gervais, Stephen Merchant, Kate Bosworth, Patrick Warburton, Tony Shalhoub, Chris Pratt, Jack McBrayer, Aasif Mandvi, and Bobby Cannavale.  Movie 43 opens January 25, 2013.

With Bruce Dern and Will Forte set as the leads for his black-and-white road trip film Nebraska, director Alexander Payne is now filling out his supporting cast. The film centers on an aging alcoholic father who decides to take a road trip from Montana to Nebraska to collect what he believes to be a million dollar Publisher’s Clearing House prize. His estranged son reluctantly agrees to accompany his father in order to keep him out of trouble.  Omaha.com (via The Film Stage) reports that Mr. Show alum and Breaking Bad standout Bob Odenkirk and veteran actor Stacy Keach (The Bourne Legacy) have now joined the cast.  The site also notes that June Squibb (About Schmidt) is being eyed for a role.

Odenkirk will play Forte’s older brother while Keach is set as one of Dern’s colleagues.  The most recent batch of Breaking Bad episodes was rather Saul Goodman-lite, so Odenkirk’s involvement in Nebraska is welcome news.  Production on Payne’s The Descendants follow-up is set to begin on October 15th, and we can expect to see the film sometime next year.

Kyle Chandler, Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Bob Odenkirk, and Andre Royo have joined James Ponsoldt‘s indie flick The Spectacular Now.  The quartet of talented actors has joined a rapidly expanding cast that also includes Shailene Woodley, Miles Teller, Brie Larson, Kaitlyn Dever, Masam Holden, and Dayo Okeniyi.  The coming-of-age story is based on the novel by Tim Tharp, and follows a live-for-the-moment high school senior (Teller) who develops a relationship with a “mercurial introvert” (Woodley).  At first, it sounds like the painful garbage of stuff like The Art of Getting By and Restless, but then the synopsis gets interesting: “As their relationship deepens, the lines between right and wrong, friendship and love, saving and corrupting, become inextricably blurred.”  It sounds like this movie could go to some dark, interesting places that quirky coming-of-age indies avoid like the plague.  Then again, screenwriters Scott Neustadter and Michael H. Weber‘s (500) Days of Summer was twee beyond belief, and was only saved by Marc Webb‘s direction and Joseph Gordon-Levitt‘s performance.

Hit the jump for details on who the new cast members will be playing.

Breaking Bad has one of the most eclectic and strongest supporting casts on television. Bryan Cranston may carry the show – but without equally strong performers to bounce off, it’s impossible to think the show would be nearly as successful. It almost seems unfair to categorize Aaron Paul (Jesse Pinkman) as a supporting player. His transformation from complete idiot drug addict to the closest thing this show has for a ‘good guy’ has been revelatory. He’s every bit as integral to the show as Walter White. Bob Odenkirk and Jonathan Banks are equally as formidable as the too-slick cheapo lawyer Saul Goodman and the morally conflicted hitman/enforcer Mike Ehrmantraut. The former providing much needed levity to the uber-nihilism of the show, whilst the latter providing the pathos of a man far beyond broken.

At Comic Con, the entire cast was on hand for a roundtable discussion of the new season, past season and upcoming final season. In today’s edition, cast members Bob Odenkirk, Jonathan Banks and Aaron Paul argue about Walt’s character & motivations and preview the dark path ahead for their respective characters. For the full interview, hit the jump.

At the Saturn Awards tonight, Vince Gilligan, creator of Breaking Bad, was on hand to receive an award for Best Syndicated/Cable Television Series.  Whilst there, Hunter Daniels and I talked with Gilligan about the past seasons of the show and the ongoing fifth season.  The thirteen-minute conversation covered many a topic – the full transcript to which, I will post later.  But for now, I wanted to quickly post choice highlights: namely Gilligan’s interest in creating a real deal Western post Breaking Bad.

“I would love to do a Western.  And in fact I think of Breaking Bad as a Western in a great many senses.  We shoot in beautiful Albuquerque, New Mexico.  The enormous skies with the beautiful cumulus clouds and the stark desert landscapes make me think of ‘America’.  Indeed [Billy the Kid], one of the most famous western outlaws of American history, his stomping grounds were New Mexico.  And apparently Jesse James made his way out there at some point.  There’s also all this marvelous Western history that takes place in the Southwest and in large part in New Mexico.  I feel lucky that we shoot there and I’d love after this is all over just to do a full-out, pullout-all-the-stops Western”

For more highlights from the Gilligan talk (including his thoughts on the ’rumored’ Saul Goodman spinoff), hit the jump.

AMC keeps dropping pieces of Breaking Bad‘s new season like parts of a burned toy bear soaked in pool water (posters, photos, a teaser trailer, a full-length trailer and a fantastic fan recap.  The latest is a short clip that takes place just after the episode’s cold open, with Walt (Bryan Cranston) and his family reacting to the events that ended last season.  It’s been described as the “calm before the storm,” and a reminder that most Breaking Bad seasons start off slowly, giving you plenty of time to order that defibrillator you’ve been meaning to get to ensure your survival watching this show.  Hit the jump for the video. (Spoiler notes: Don’t watch or go any further if you’re not caught up with the show. If you are caught up, the clip does not reveal any spoilers specific to the new season).

The official trailer for the final season of AMC’s Breaking Bad has landed.  If I had one complaint about the end of season four, it would be that it didn’t feature enough of Gus Fring’s enforcer, Mike (Jonathan Banks).  This trailer for season five addresses that oversight right off the bat and I couldn’t be happier.  For fans of Walter White (Bryan Cranston) and Jesse Pinkman (Aaron Paul), you’ll be happy to see them get back to work in the last season.  As Walt says, “There’s a market to be filled and currently…no one to fill it.”  Luckily, the “awesome dramatic television show” market will be satisfied when Breaking Bad returns to AMC Sunday July 15th.  Hit the jump to see the new trailer.

By the time of season four of Breaking Bad, Walter White (Bryan Cranston) and Jesse Pinkman (Aaron Paul) have been in the meth game long enough to not make rookie mistakes.  Now they’re in the big leagues (making much bigger mistakes), and they’re working under the thumb of Gus Fring (Giancarlo Esposito), who has a placid exterior and no problem acting as a cold blooded killer.  It’s the best season of the show, and one of the best seasons of television ever.  Our review of the Blu-ray of Breaking Bad season four follows after the jump.

Just as Breaking Bad star Aaron Paul tweeted that tomorrow is his last day of shooting for this season, we’re hearing reports that a Breaking Bad feature film may be in the foreseeable future.  Why? Because as Walter White (Bryan Cranston) says, “We’re done when I say we’re done.“  The fifth and final season of AMC’s epic dramatic series is coming to a conclusion this summer (in two parts, with part one starting July 15th).  But apparently there’s enough story to carry on even after the next 16 episodes.  This raises interesting questions,  such as, “Who will be left alive at the end of this season to carry on into a feature film?” and “Will the series have a satisfying ending for fans regardless of plans to turn the commodity into a movie?”  Hit the jump for more from Cranston and creator, Vince Gilligan.

Not only do we have an explosive new teaser trailer for the final season of AMC’s Breaking Bad to share with you, we’re also going to provide you with a fan-made recap of all of Walter White (Bryan Cranston) and Jesse Pinkman’s (Aaron Paul) exploits so far!  In just under nine minutes, the YouTube user, editing genius and uber fan (who should really be paid by AMC for this fantastic offering) known only as Jswinney1 has managed to recap, chronologically, the first four seasons of Breaking Bad.

If you’re looking to get caught up before the July 15th premiere and are already excited by the final season’s first teaser trailer, look nowhere else to get your fix. The memories and the intensity are overwhelming. As Hector would say, Ding ding ding ding ding! Hit the jump for the glorious vid.

On the heels of the release of a new poster for the first part of the upcoming final season of AMC’s Breaking Bad that showed a badass Walt taking what looks to be a meth-built throne, the network is also now running a new teaser trailer that premiered during Mad Men Sunday night.

In the clip, Walt (who many agree finally and complete “broke bad” last season) meets with a nervous Saul who tells him they are finished (possibly also an out of context reference to the show’s final episodes). “We’re done when I say we’re done,” Walt replies with real menace. After the jump, watch the teaser clip and also find out which Walking Dead character will have a surprise return for Season 3 (to avoid any Walking Dead spoilers, don’t scroll past the embedded Breaking Bad clip).

Summer holds the promise of many delightful things: warm weather, vacations, everyone’s favorite Southern supernatural soap opera and the return of AMC’s Breaking Bad.  Vince Gilligan’s creation about a chemistry teacher and a drug dealer who team up to cook meth is about to enter its fifth season. Season four ended with a bang of both the literal and metaphorical variety and I cannot wait to see where the next season takes us.  While there’s not much to go on from this video, stars Bryan Cranston and Aaron Paul do delight in teasing us with what we can expect in season five.  We do know that the final season will be broken in half and Cranston leaked some details about the premiere (beware spoilers).  Breaking Bad, also starring Anna Gun, Dean Norris, Betsy Brandt, RJ Mitte, Bob Odenkirk and Jonathan Banks returns to AMC this July.  Hit the jump to watch the teaser.

Quite possibly the most intense, and earnest, show on television at the moment, Breaking Bad had a lot to live up to coming into its third season. The first season of AMC’s hit drama series took audiences by surprise, when Malcolm in the Middle’s Bryan Cranston turned in a harrowing performance as science teacher-turned-meth cooker Walter White. Just when we thought we were getting a handle on what the show would entail week-to-week, season two upped the ante, making audiences sweat bullets during the last five minutes of pretty much every episode, with significant character development encompassing each installment.

It was all but inevitable that a show this good would have a slump season. There was just no way creator Vince Gilligan and his team of writers could come up with a season as surprising and satisfying as the first two. Until they did. My review of the spectacular third season of Breaking Bad on Blu-ray after the jump.