'Breaking Bad' and 'Better Call Saul' Creator Has Followup Show in the Works

The writer and showrunner behind Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul has a brand new show ready to go, and the entertainment industry is reportedly bracing for impact. According to a report by Deadline, Gilligan will soon begin pitching a brand new series with no connection to his previous work at all. Details on the project are scarce, but with Gilligan attached, at least eight or nine networks are prepared to make a bid.

Gilligan broke into the TV world as a writer on The X-Files, which gave him the clout needed to create his own series, Breaking Bad. He wrote, directed and produced much of Breaking Bad himself, and when it ended he continued in much the same way on Better Call Saul. Now that the prequel series is at an end, Gilligan is still not ready to rest on his laurels. Sources close to him tell Deadline that he is fired up about his new project.

Gilligan is under an overall deal with Sony Pictures TV, so that studio will be attached no matter where Gilligan's new show ends up. He is not beholden to a single network or streaming service, so the show could end up just about anywhere. Insiders say that it is far different from Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul, with no connections to the worlds of high-stakes drug peddling or smuggling that he has explored for the last decade and a half.

What we do know is that Gilligan's new project is a drama and that it is more comparable to his work on The X-Files than anything else. However, the insiders specifically said that this will not be a sci-fi or fantasy series. It is being compared to The Twilight Zone, "bending reality while holding a mirror to humanity."

Gilligan's treatment for this project is reportedly quite thorough, with plenty of pre-written material to give bidders a sense of the show and its trajectory. Gilligan is well-known for plotting out his works well in advance, and he reportedly has a series-long story arc in mind for this show that would give it "a couple of seasons" at least.

Gilligan and Sony are expected to begin pitching this show to networks and streamers sometime within the next couple of weeks. The series finale of Better Call Saul premieres on Monday, Aug. 15 on AMC.