Will Walter White appear in Better Call Saul?

Spurious rumours are circulating the internet this week that Bryan Cranston's Walter White will feature in Breaking Bad prequel Better Call Saul in "non-gimmicky" fashion, but it's hard to see how this will be achievable.

According to HollywoodLife.com (that bastion of truth): "There is going to be something with Walter White" in the AMC show.

"They won't do it as a gimmick, it will actually mean something when they do it," their source goes on to explain. "Definitely expect the return of Walter White in some way, shape or form in the new show."

The rumours should be taken with a whole vat of salt, but if true will probably come as disappointing news to most fans.

Walter White was an unforgettable character and Bryan Cranston gave a masterful performance in the role, but his story is over.

As tempting as it is to see him don that pork pie hat once more, any appearance of White would feel gratuitous, even if just in flash-forward.

Better Call Saul needs to find its own identity away from Breaking Bad too, and get us invested in the lawyer's back story, not trade off the magic of his future client.

There'll already be a touch of Breaking Bad nostalgia for fans in there anyway in the form of Mike Ehrmantraut, who has been confirmed for a return.

As the camera pulled away from his lifeless face, Walt's fate looked pretty unequivocal at the end of Breaking Bad, but Cranston couldn't resist stoking "He's still alive!" debates last week when he told CNN: "I don't know. You never saw bags zip up or anything, or anybody say ... you know."

He added of the prospect of more Breaking Bad: "Never say never."

Vince Gilligan, if you're reading this, please don't do a film.

- Independent