Currently all fans of Breaking Bad are enthralled in the impressive prequel to the show which follows Jimmy McGill's attempts to crack the world as an attorney, before he became Saul Goodman.
There are many reasons why the series is so welcomed. The first is that now there isn't as many reasons to re-watch Breaking Bad over and over again on Netflix, simply because this insight into the same world is just as entertaining. Secondly, Goodman was one of the best characters in Breaking Bad, as was Mike Ehrmantraut, so having them as the focal point only means good news.
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Understandably, fans want to know a lot more about most of the characters. Saul was one of them, and thankfully, he got a spin-off. Gus, played by Giancarlo Esposito, is another man people would like to learn more about, and even the creator of Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul has admitted that a Gus spin-off would be great.
Vince Gilligan recently did a Reddit AMA session, answering all BB and BCS questions. One fan asked: "Why did you pick Saul for a spin-off? Will there be others?
"I would have thought that a spin-off with Gustavo, how he became a respected business man and how he came to know Gale would have been fascinating too." A fair point.
In reply, Gilligan said: "I have to admit, a spin-off series about Gus Fring would be a good idea. There's no perfect answer to that question, other than to say that creating a spin-off series related to Saul Goodman was an idea that we batted around pretty much since the creation of the character.
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"We always loved writing for Saul Goodman throughout the run of Breaking Bad. Now we find that writing for Jimmy McGill, he's so good with words that writing his dialogue is great fun, too.
"But you're right, Gus could carry his own story. I wish there were more hours in the day, so that we'd be able to do ALL these shows!"
Credit: AMC
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It would be great indeed, but unfortunately it's doubtful it'll ever happen. First off, it will become very dangerous that the whole franchise will be killed with far too many spin-offs. Secondly, Esposito was very hesitant about reviving his character for Better Call Saul, so it's likely the same would happen for another series.
"My reaction was 'No'," he told Vulture. "It's like when you make a really good soufflé. You know what I mean? It's very, very difficult to have it rise without falling and also have it be remarkable. So for me to try to re-create that soufflé without it falling was almost impossible."
Though he felt this way, Vince Gilligan managed to convince him, and for that, we're very grateful.
"I don't like to repeat myself. I try to always be original in my work. So to come back and create a character I'd already created was difficult," he said. "It was a phone call with Vince [that convinced me], because I'd said no to all the other powers that be, including the head of Sony. I had to speak to Vince because I needed to know: Where does Gus, this iconic character, fit into this whole thing?"
Gus Fring's death. Credit: AMC
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However, if you're dying for a bit more information on the chicken seller turned meth kingpin, then look no further.
In the beginning, Los Pollos Hermanos was owned by Gustavo Fring and Max Arciniega, whom Fring rescued from the slums of Santiago. Fring then paid for Arciniega to study degrees in biochemistry and chemical engineering at the University of Santiago in Chile. The pair then moved to Mexico to open their first restaurant where Max cooked the chicken, and Gus handled the business.
They began to also use Max's degrees by cooking crystal meth alongside the chicken, handing out free samples to get recognition. Shortly after approaching the Juárez Cartel in order to seek partnership in selling their product, Max was shot in the head by Hector 'Tio' Salamanca, forcing Gus to flee to America and set up both his chicken and drug empire there.
Prior to his death at the hands of his former employee Walter White, Gus had 14 chicken shops.
Featured Image Credit: AMC