Aaron Paul Confirms What We All Feared About His Future As Jesse Pinkman

Aaron Paul had a steady, if less than stellar, acting career before being cast as Jesse Pinkman on "Breaking Bad." Co-creators Vince Gilligan and Peter Gould originally intended to kill Jesse off at the end of Season 1, but the writer's strike and Paul's strong performance dissuaded them, and he became a series headliner and the prime subject for the series follow-up film, "El Camino." Paul won three Emmys for his work on "Breaking Bad" and picked up three additional nominations for the series and movie. 

He returned for two brief appearances in Season 6 of "Better Call Saul," much to the delight of fans. As for a return to Albuquerque, Gilligan and Gould say, "Never say never," but it sounds like they're done in this sandbox. As Gilligan told Deadline, "I don't have any plans right now to do anything more in this universe. I know I probably gave the same answer at the end of 'Breaking Bad.' I gotta prove to myself that I got something else in me. I'm not a one trick pony, that's what I'm hoping."

It makes sense. By the end of "Better Call Saul," most of the major players are either in prison or dead, except for Jesse Pinkman, who's still out there kicking. Does that mean there could be another franchise series or film featuring our favorite reformed methamphetamine cook?

Unfortunately for fans of "Breaking Bad," "Better Call Saul," and "El Camino," Aaron Paul says he is done playing Jesse Pinkman. He told The Hollywood Reporter, "[He] will always have a special place inside of me, but I can confidently say that was the last time we're going to see Pinkman. So it was a nice farewell ... It was such a fun ride." Paul acknowledged that his career was given a tremendous boost when he was cast in "Breaking Bad." "Heading out to Albuquerque and starting that journey, I was at the lowest point in my career," he said. "I really needed 'Breaking Bad' to be somewhat of a success just so I could survive."

The show became such a hit that it spawned two offshoot projects, and Paul and Bryan Cranston's characters were even immortalized with statues in Albuquerque. Paul has been everywhere since his vault to stardom, including "Big Love," "Saturday Night Live," and "Black Mirror." He starred in the last two seasons of "Westworld" and could potentially return for a Season 5 if there is one. But while the question of whether we might see more of Caleb Nichols remains unsettled, it's apparently a franchise wrap for Jesse Pinkman.