Could We Ever See A Sequel To El Camino? Here's What We Know
(Welcome to Will There Be a Sequel?, a series where we answer that question and explore what comes next.)
"El Camino: A Breaking Bad Movie" debuted on Netflix in 2019, exploring the trials of Jesse Pinkman (Aaron Paul) and ultimately answering the question of what happened to him after he escaped from that Nazi compound in the series finale of "Breaking Bad." The film ended on a positive note for Jesse, but it also wrapped up in such a way that there is technically still room to tell another story about him. So will audiences ever see a follow-up to "El Camino"?
Looking Back on El Camino
"El Camino" focused on what happened after Jesse, one of the most complex and tragic characters on "Breaking Bad," sped out of that Nazi compound like a bat out of hell. Gilligan shoots Jesse's adventure as a suspenseful neo-Western, complete with a show-stopping gun duel sequence influenced by the films of Sergio Leone. The film, which came out more than five years after "Breaking Bad" ended, was a welcome return to that universe, but ultimately felt like Gilligan made the movie simply to wrap up some narrative loose ends instead of actually saying anything new or thematically interesting with the project. I've seen complaints that the entire film is basically a waste from a plot perspective because it begins with Jesse driving off toward freedom and ends with Jesse still driving off toward freedom, and while that's technically true, I still think the film has value, especially in Aaron Paul's haunted performance.
Could Jesse's Story Continue?
The short answer: maybe, but it sounds like if it does happen, it won't be for a very long time.
When "El Camino" came out in October of 2019, Aaron Paul said, "I think the purpose of this film is to give a proper send-off to [Jesse Pinkman]." But the actor has been open to reprising the role again, with one catch: Vince Gilligan must be involved. For Paul, it boils down to trust: in his mind, if Gilligan asks Paul to play Jesse again, Gilligan must have a good reason for it.
Gilligan spoke with EW around that same time, and explained his thoughts about a possible continuation like this:
"I don't have any plans right now to do anything more with the Breaking Bad universe except for helping Peter Gould and the writers finish up Better Call Saul. Having said that, I have surprised myself in the past, clearly. But I'm starting to think — I used this expression a lot in 2013 — I don't want to overstay my welcome. I hope I haven't at this point. It's a tempting thing to overstay your welcome when you're having a good time at the party. Suddenly you look around and you're the last person there with the lampshade on your head and the hosts are waiting for you to get the hell out. I don't want to be that guy. I'm really starting to think, "God, I better see if I got anything else in me here. I'd better see if I can come up with another story." So no matter what, the next thing I intend to do is something completely different. But you never know, 20 years from now, if I'm still working, and everyone still wants it, it'd be interesting to see what Alaska still looks like 10 years later, 15 years later."
Speaking with the real-life Alaskan newspaper that services the town Jesse drives to at the end of the movie, Gilligan said the ending "may indeed be the final happily-ever-after moment, the end of Jesse's story. Or it may not be."
So what might happen if a sequel were to materialize? Gilligan had an idea about that, but it doesn't sound super dramatic: "It sounds like Jesse would have a great time up there," Gilligan said. "He would enjoy the brewery and maybe get a job with the ski manufacturer. It sounds to me like the very nice people of Alaska would welcome him into the community."