10 years after Breaking Bad, the creator is teasing his new series… and don’t expect to see Walter White in it!

It’s been ten years since Breaking Bad ended, since Walter White broke his world and went full Heisenberg, and we can’t get over it. On the 10th anniversary of the end of Breaking Bad, series creator Vince Gilligan spoke variety on his favorite moments from the series and takes the opportunity to tease his next creation.

“There is no crime, there is no Matthew” laughs Gilligan when talking about Wycaro, his upcoming new series for Apple TV+ with Better Call Saul’s Rhea Seehorn. Set in Albuquerque, though it’s a very different city.

“The world changes very suddenly in the first episode, and then it’s very differentGilligan adds.This is the modern world – the world we live in – but it is changing very suddenly. The resulting results will hopefully be the source of drama for many, many episodes to come.“

It’s a return to sci-fi for those who cut their teeth on The X-Files. “I wouldn’t call it hard science fiction, but light science fiction. But there is a science fiction element to it. (…) Rhea will play a very different character from the one she played in “Saul”..”

The series has received a two-season order from Apple TV+ and will resume writing on Monday when the writers’ strike ends. Fortunately, this stage of writing doesn’t have to last long. “When the strike started, we were about to finish the first season. So we’re going to go back and finish the last episode and then the final episode.” Gilligan explains. As for filming, it will begin next winter in New Mexico.

“I don’t know how people will react, whether they’ll love it or hate it, or somewhere in between. But I know it’s a story that interests me.”

Coping with artificial intelligence

During the interview, Vince Gilligan returns to one of the most hotly debated issues during the screenwriters’ strike: the use of artificial intelligence. A strict framework has been found to suit the WGA (Screenwriters Guild), but here’s what Gilligan has to say about the use of artificial intelligence.

“When I found out about ChatGPT, or whatever it was called, I was scared to death. I said to myself, “Our species is finished.” I don’t mean in the Terminator sense that they’re going to destroy us. But who wants to live in a world where creativity is entrusted to machines? My work is done. I had all this fear. And for the last six or nine months, I’ve been a bit aware of this “wonder” that is artificial intelligence.“

I think this is nonsense. It is a giant plagiarism machine in its current form. I think ChatGPT knows what it’s typing like a toaster knows it’s making toast.

“No brainer – it’s a marketing miracle. He can become sensitive and really intelligent. At some point it might become a threat, but for now it’s just a plagiarism machine. It’s about a bunch of billionaires trying to become trillionaires by selling this thing like a sea change. It will certainly have its uses for writing legal briefs and things like that, but I don’t think it’s suitable for fiction writers.“

He follows: “I don’t feel that technology in general makes the world a better place, despite what people are selling it to believe. I think it divides us and separates us. Even worse, he will lie to us. It won’t be Terminator with machines killing us. We are killing ourselves. But this product can help in an insidious way.”

“I’m pretty negative about it! If it were up to me, we’d all have pockets full of coins to talk about tickets and the cell phone would never have been invented. I do not look at things with great optimism..”