Breaking Bad: Mike Ehrmantraut's Inclusion In 'Better Call Saul' Is Genius

For those of you who thought you’d seen the last of Mike Ehrmantraut, his return for the Breaking Bad spin-off, Better Call Saul, will come as an exciting revelation. But there’s more to Jonathan Banks’ role reprisal.

No doubt we'll see Bryan Cranston and Aaron Paul pop up as Walter White and Jesse Pinkman at some point in the new spin off, and of course Bob Odenkirk will be playing Saul again. We get the feeling Banks is going to play a far more important role.

The return of Ehrmantraut is an organic addition to the show. We know how Walter met Saul, and how their partnership culminated in an almighty mess, but the morally bankrupt lawyer's relationship with everyone's favourite hitman-for-hire is something ripe for further exploration.

How did the pair become 'business associates'? We're looking forward to seeing the origins of their hilarious dynamic unfold as Saul's colourful history comes to light.

It's a considered piece of re-casting, not to mention a popular one - Mike's hangdog, droopy expression coupled with his dry, croaky candour made him a BB favourite.

"It will be Saul Goodman's world, it won't be Walter White's, and it will have a different feel, even though there will be some overlap on the Venn diagram that exists between Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul," Gilligan told Rolling Stone.

The prequel spin-off will certainly attract plenty of attention; Breaking Bad has been called one of the greatest TV shows of all time, and for the last year, you escape the hysteria that surrounded its last season, which culminated in explosive style late last year.

Better Call Saul is due to appear on AMC at the end of 2014 and, like Breaking Bad, will be shown on Netflix in the UK.