Bob Odenkirk Is Reuniting With Better Call Saul Actors

Bob Odenkirk is reuniting with Andrew Friedman and Michael Naughton from Better Call Saul, for a new series.

By Douglas Helm | Published

This article is more than 2 years old

Bob Odenkirk will be teaming up with his Better Call Saul co-stars Andrew Friedman and Michael Naughton for a new comedy called The Making of Jesus Diabetes. Odenkirk recently finished up his role as Jimmy McGill/Saul Goodman in Better Call Saul, where Friedman and Naughton had smaller supporting roles. Friedman and Naughton are best known for their work on It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia.

Bob Odenkirk is on board to both co-write and co-star in The Making of Jesus Diabetes, and Heath Cullens is on board to direct. The film will be about two middle-aged brothers making a movie about diabetes in Jesus’ time.

Naughton and Friedman will be playing the lead roles in the film with Bob Odenkirk playing a supporting role. The project is based on the characters that Naughton and Friedman created at the Groundlings Theater. Filming is set to begin in 2023.

Bob Odenkirk
Bob Odenkirk as Jimmy McGill – Better Call Saul _ Season 3, Episode 1 – Photo Credit: Michele K. Short/AMC/Sony Pictures Television

Bob Odenkirk’s dramatic acting career has really taken off in the last couple of years. While Odenkirk has always been a great comedic actor with his sketch show Mr. Show and other projects, he’s been able to show off his acting chops to an even greater degree. His turn as Jimmy McGill/Saul Goodman in Better Call Saul has been a masterclass, giving humanity and a tragic arc to the slimy lawyer we met in Breaking Bad.

As impressive as Bob Odenkirk has been in Better Call Saul, somehow he has yet to win an Emmy for his efforts on the show. The same goes for everyone involved, as Better Call Saul has been snubbed every year despite raking in tons of nominations. Fortunately, the cast and crew will be getting one last chance since the second half of the final season will be eligible for the next Emmy ceremony.

Bob Odenkirk surprised us again in 2021 when he played a believable action hero in Nobody, a surprise hit from some of the minds behind the John Wick franchise. Although the creators have said a sequel for Nobody is in the works, the studios haven’t made the announcement official quite yet. Regardless, Nobody is tearing up the streaming charts on HBO Max right now, so make sure to check it out if you missed it.

Fans are certainly wanting more of Bob Odenkirk’s Hutch Mansell, and it seems like he’s willing to provide more. Deadline recently reported that Odenkirk spoke at a masterclass during the Venice Film Festival and said that he wants to do more action. He doesn’t have to convince us, because we’d be more than ready for more films like Nobody.

Meanwhile, Bob Odenkirk is gearing up for his next TV series Straight Man. Straight Man follows William Henry Devereaux, Jr. (Odenkirk) as he goes through a mid-life crisis while working as the chairman of the English department at an underfunded college. Aaron Zelman and Paul Lieberstein serve as co-showrunners and adapt the project from the novel of the same name by author Richard Russo.

Straight Man is expected to release sometime in 2023. In the meantime, we should see Bob Odenkirk next in the film Worlds Apart about three couples stuck at home during the lockdown. The film recently premiered at the Venice Film Festival in September.