Untitled Vince Gilligan series (TBD)

All non-Nolan related film, tv, and streaming discussions.
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https://deadline.com/2022/08/vince-gill ... 235089196/
EXCLUSIVE: As Better Call Saul is coming to an end, series co-creator — and Breaking Bad creator — Vince Gilligan is ready for what comes next. And once again, for his next drama project he is going with a wholly original idea. No one would comment, but there is a lot of anticipation in the marketplace for the pitch, which is expected to come out in the next couple of weeks, with at least 8-9 networks and platforms lined up to hear it.

I hear the new project, which comes from Sony Pictures TV where Gilligan has been under an overall deal for a long time, is a departure from the world of drugs and crime he explored in Breaking Bad and its prequel, Better Call Saul, whose series finale airs Aug 15. Word is that the new show harkens back to Gilligan’s tenure on The X-Files. But don’t expect a sci-fi drama — when he was a writer-producer on The X-Files, Gilligan was known for focusing more on the human condition in his episodes, which is something he is said to also be doing in his new series, exploring similar themes of bending reality while holding a mirror to humanity.

Described as a blended, grounded genre drama, the new series also is being compared to The Twilight Zone. It is said to be set in our world while putting a tweak on it, focusing on people and exploring the human condition in an unexpected, surprising way.

Thought-provoking but not a morality tale, the new show is expected to carry the signature Gilligan tone that infuses drama with humor.

Like he often does with his original creations, Gilligan has written material that is accompanying the pitch, giving buyers a sense of what the new project would look like. I hear it is envisioned to play over a couple of seasons with an overreaching story arc.

One of the most celebrated TV creators of his generation, Gilligan created and executive produced AMC’s acclaimed Breaking Bad, which won two Emmys for Outstanding Drama Series. He is co-creator/executive producer, alongside Peter Gould, of the Breaking Bad prequel Better Call Saul, which also has been an awards juggernaut, amassing 46 Emmy nominations to date, seven of them this year, including Outstanding Drama Series. Gilligan also earned multiple Emmy nominations for his work on The X-Files. He is repped by CAA, Storied Media Group and Del Shaw Moonves Tanaka.
https://deadline.com/2022/09/vince-gill ... 235124488/
EXCLUSIVE: The biggest TV project to hit the marketplace in quite a while has landed with a big series commitment. Apple TV+ has nabbed the latest show from Breaking Bad creator and Better Call Saul co-creator Vince Gilligan, which has Better Call Saul star Rhea Seehorn attached to play the lead. The untitled project, described as a blended, grounded genre drama, has received a two-season straight-to-series order from the streamer.

Hailing from Gilligan’s longtime studio home Sony Pictures Television, the new series marks Gilligan’s follow-up to the back-to-back critical and ratings hits Breaking Bad and prequel Better Call Saul. It also marks Gilligan’s second collaboration with Better Call Saul star Seehorn, who landed a 2022 Emmy nomination for her performance on the show.

Gilligan will serve as showrunner and executive produce through his High Bridge Productions. Former Sony Pictures TV president Jeff Frost, who oversaw the project prior to recently stepping down from his executive post, will also executive produce, along with Diane Mercer. Jenn Carroll is producing for High Bridge.

As Deadline reported exclusively last month, there was a lot of anticipation for Gilligan’s pitch, with at least 8-9 networks and platforms lined up to hear it and read his script. There were multiple rounds of bidding for the project, which I hear was seeking a series order and a budget in the vicinity of $13.5 million-$15 million an episode — on the high end for a premium drama with significant genre elements but not in the jaw-dropping $20M-plus-an-episode range for shows like LOTR: The Rings of Power, House of the Dragon or the now-shelved Demimonde.

Apple TV+, which showed great enthusiasm for the project and pursued it aggressively, had been considered a strong contender from the start because of toppers Zack Van Amburg and Jamie Erlicht’s longstanding relationship with Gilligan. As Sony Pictures Television presidents, Van Amburg and Erlicht spearheaded and sold both Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul. At Apple TV+, Gilligan also will reunite with former SPT Studios co-president Chris Parnell, now a senior TV programming executive at the streamer. (Other outlets that I hear were in contention for the series included Amazon and Breaking Bad/Better Call Saul network AMC.)

“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,” said Gilligan. “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, longtime partners at Sony Pictures Television and I are excited to be in business with them.”

Per usual, Gilligan would not divulge details about the premise of his show.

As Deadline previously reported, the show is believed to be a departure from the world of drugs and crime he explored in Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul, whose series finale aired last month.

Compared to The Twilight Zone, the new series is said to be set in our world while putting a tweak on it, bending reality and focusing on people and exploring the human condition in an unexpected, surprising way. Thought-provoking but not a morality tale, the series also is expected to carry the signature Gilligan tone that infuses drama with humor.

One of the most celebrated TV creators of his generation, Gilligan created and executive produced AMC’s Breaking Bad, which won two Emmys for Outstanding Drama Series. He is co-creator/executive producer, alongside Peter Gould, of the Breaking Bad prequel Better Call Saul, which also has been an awards juggernaut, amassing 46 Emmy nominations to date, seven of them this year, including for Outstanding Drama Series. Gilligan also earned multiple Emmy nominations for his work on The X-Files. He is repped by CAA and Del Shaw Moonves Tanaka.

In addition to Better Call Saul, Seehorn’s credits include Veep, Things Heard and Seen, and the soon-to-be-released films Linoleum and Wyrm. Seehorn was also Emmy nominated for actress in a short form digital series for Cooper’s Bar, on which she directs and exec produced. She is repped by Untitled Entertainment and UTA
THIS IS WONDERFUL. So impatient to see the first series post-Breaking Bad universe that he is creating, this is going to be something truly original and special.
And Apple taking this and Rhea Sheehorn being in it are such amazing news!! I absolutely can't wait!!

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Apple TV plus is turning out to be a compelling service. Their only problem is subscriber count, not that they need more, but I suspect they have far less than they deserve at this point.
wikipedia

By early 2020, Apple TV+ had poor growth and low subscriber numbers relative to competing services. In the middle of that year, Apple began to license older television programs and films, attempting to stay competitive with other services, attract and retain a viewership for its original content, and convert into subscribers users who were trialling the service.
So they buckled under pressure.

Furthermore, they could not secure a deal with Chris Nolan because of theatrical release window issues but now Killers of the Flower Moon will get the window because they are distributing it with Paramount pictures.

I'm a fan of their original vision but it gets muddier by day. They won best picture oscar because of a movie they purchased. That just leaves a bad taste in everyone's mouth.

As far as I know, they don't have a name for their film and TV production studio. And there is no 'they' in a dedicated fashion. A bunch of people all subject to change without any clear philosophy behind. Traditional studios do not have any clear philosophy either (they can't afford to stick to principles) but they have to make compelling tv / movies.

Second season of The Morning Show was terrible. But they don't have to maintain quality so why bother with criticism. They renewed it for another season.

It really is a complementary sub-streaming service. You would think I hate it but no I prefer it over others, what itches me that it could be perfect (the way they envisioned it) but as it stands they have more good luck than spine. What that means in long term remains to be seen.

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