Breaking Bad spin-off 'not a done deal'

A Breaking Bad spin-off show about dodgy lawyer Saul Goodman appears to be happening.

A spin-off show featuring Breaking Bad's wisecracking lawyer Saul Goodman is yet to be pitched to a network, but it is moving forward, says showrunner Vince Gilligan.

Breaking Bad's final eight episodes begin airing on August 11, and Gilligan says he will begin work on getting the spin-offshow off the ground after that.

Goodman, Walter White's dodgy lawyer in the hit AMC show about a schoolteacher-turned-meth manufacturer, is played by Bob Odenkirk.

He's become a cult figure on the show, and Gilligan told TV website The Wrap his only project after finishing Breaking Bad is the Goodman spin-off.

Gilligan said work on the show is moving "full steam ahead" - but he's not sure what format it would take.

"There's a way to do both versions of the show. There's a way to make it a half-hour show and make it a little more - I don't want to say sitcom-y, but a little more traditionally half-hour comedic," he told The Wrap.

"Or there's a way to do it where it fits more snuggly in with the Breaking Bad universe, in which it's an hour-long show. As you can imagine with Saul Goodman as a character, a show like that would have to have plenty of humor to it.

"But also because he works for some pretty scary clientele sometimes, there'd be a bit of drama in it as well. We're trying to nail that down. As of yet, we haven't completely figured that out ourselves."

The show could be a prequel to what happens on Breaking Bad, Gilligan said.

"We are plugging away coming up with a pitch and a take on it for the network and studio and hopefully everyone will agree that there's a really fun show to be had here," he said.

"And hopefully we'll get it up and running ... I'd love to see that happen. It's not a done deal yet, but it's definitely something we're full speed ahead on trying to get going."

Breaking Bad airs on Sky TV's Soho channel in New Zealand.

- nzherald.co.nz