Last month, it was announced that Sony Pictures TV had given a two-season order for a new series from Better Call Saul and Breaking Bad creator Vince Gilligan – a series that has been described as a “blended, grounded genre drama” that’s something along the lines of the classic Rod Serling show The Twilight Zone. Now The Hollywood Reporter has broken the news that Gilligan’s Better Call Saul cast member Rhea Seehorn is following him over to the new show and has signed on to play the lead role. This untitled series will be released through Apple TV+.
Former Sony Pictures TV presidents Zack Van Amburg and Jamie Erlicht, who greenlit Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul when they were at Sony, are now the heads of Apple’s streaming portfolio. Former Sony Pictures TV Studios co-president Chris Parnell is now at Apple as well, working as the senior TV programming executive.
Details on Gilligan’s new show are being kept tightly under wraps, so we don’t have any information on exactly how it compares to The Twilight Zone. Details on the character Seehorn will be playing haven’t been revealed, either.
Gilligan provided the following statement: “After 15 years, I figured it was time to take a break from writing antiheroes, and who’s more heroic than the brilliant Rhea Seehorn? It’s long past time she had her own show, and I feel lucky to get to work on it with her. And what nice symmetry to be reunited with Zack Van Amburg, Jamie Erlicht and Chris Parnell! Jamie and Zack were the first two people to say yes to Breaking Bad all those years ago. They’ve built a great team at Apple, and my wonderful, long-time partners at Sony Pictures Television and I are excited to be in business with them.“
Seehorn’s Better Call Saul co-star Bob Odenkirk would probably agree that she is heroic, since she and fellow co-star Patrick Fabian helped him while he was suffering a heart attack on set last year.
Whatever this show ends up being called, Gilligan will be serving as the showrunner on it and will also be executive producing it through his company High Bridge Productions. Jeff Frost and Diane Mercer are executive producing as well, with High Bridge’s Jenn Carroll producing.
Are you glad to hear that Rhea Seehorn is going to star in Gilligan’s new series? Share your thoughts on this news by leaving a comment below.