"Breaking Bad" star Jonathan Banks joins spinoff prequel "Better Call Saul"
Saul Goodman is getting some backup.
Jonathan Banks, the actor who portrayed lethal drug gang enforcer Mike Ehrmentrout on AMC's highly acclaimed series "Breaking Bad," has officially joined the cast of the show's upcoming spinoff, "Better Call Saul," according to Deadline.
The veteran actor, 67, was nominated for an Emmy Award in 2013 for his performance as Ehrmentrout.
"Breaking Bad" ended in September after 5 seasons and 62 episodes. The series was recently crowned best TV drama at the 2014 Golden Globes.
"Better Call Saul" is being helmed by "Breaking Bad" creator Vince Gilligan and writer-producer Peter Gould.
Serving as a prequel to its predecessor, Bob Odenkirk will reprise his role as shady attorney Saul Goodman, before he began representing chemistry teacher-turned-meth kingpin Walter White (Bryan Cranston) and his associate Jesse Pinkman (Aaron Paul).
On "Breaking Bad," Ehrmentrout would help out with Goodman's dubious affairs from time to time, but he primarily served as the right hand man for meth lord and Pollos Hermanos franchise owner Gus Fring (Giancarlo Esposito), before then going on to work for White, a.k.a. Heisenberg.
So far, Odenkirk and Banks are the only "Breaking Bad" cast members officially confirmed to appear in the spinoff, but Cranston and Paul have both publicly expressed interest in reprising their roles.
"Better Call Saul" is set to debut this November on AMC.
