Albuquerque, it's time to cook, as Sony Pictures is set to unveil a set of Breaking Bad statues outside the Albuquerque Convention Center on July 29, 2022, in honor of the iconic series set in the New Mexico city.
As most fans of prestige television know, Breaking Bad was an iconic crime drama that aired from 2008 to 2013. The series starred Bryan Cranston as Walter White, an Albuquerque high school chemistry teacher who begins his long and dark path into the world of meth trafficking after being diagnosed with lung cancer. Joining him in his journey is a slacker former student Jesse Pinkman, played by Aaron Paul, who often did White's dirty work. The series was popular during its initial run but has since become a pop-culture staple, spawning memes, YouTube analysis, and even a highly successful spinoff, Better Call Saul. So it's no wonder why the city would want to immortalize a series so inextricably linked to its own identity as a series (even if that link is, well, meth).
Of statues, series creator Vince Gilligan said, “[o]ver the course of fifteen years, two TV shows and one movie, Albuquerque has been wonderful to us. I wanted to return the favor and give something back." He continued, “[t]hese larger-than-life bronzes of Walter White and Jesse Pinkman exist thanks to the generosity of Sony Pictures Television and the artistry of sculptor Trevor Grove, and I love them. It makes me happy to picture them gracing The Duke City for decades to come, attracting busloads of tourists.”
Series stars Cranston and Paul added, “[w]e are thrilled and humbled to be getting bronze statues of our characters from Breaking Bad permanently placed at the Convention Center in downtown Albuquerque." They continued,"[t]his city has meant so much to us over the years, and we want to thank everyone in ABQ, for not only being great hosts through our show and Better Call Saul but being an important character in the storytelling as well. We also appreciate that the statues will be indoors, and therefore protected from pigeons depositing their critiques on our heads.”
“The city of Albuquerque played such an indelible and significant role in this incredibly iconic series. It is only fitting that statues of these two notable and renowned characters become a part of Albuquerque’s landscape as the city did for the series,” said Jeff Frost, President, Sony Pictures Television, and Jason Clodfelter, Co-President, Sony Pictures Television. “We are so grateful to the city and people of Albuquerque for providing such a wonderful and picturesque home for Breaking Bad and these statues are a small demonstration of our appreciation. We can’t thank Vince, Bryan and Aaron, Mayor Keller, and the city enough for making this momentous event happen.”
The larger-than-life bronze statues were originally commissioned in 2019, and feature the likeness of Walter White and Jesse Pinkman. Sony Pictures originally commissioned the piece, and the statues took over two years to complete. The design was a collaboration between Gilligan and sculptor Trevor Grove. Scaling of the life-size figures was done by the expert craftspeople of American Fine Arts Foundry out of Burbank, California. Both bronze statues are set to be installed and displayed inside the Albuquerque Convention Center.
The statues will be unveiled at the Albuquerque Convention Center on July 29, 2022, with a ceremony featuring Mayor Tim Keller, Gilligan, Peter Gould, as well as actors Bryan Cranston and Aaron Paul, along with other special guests.