Jonathan Banks joins 'Breaking Bad' prequel 'Better Call Saul' as Mike Ehrmantraut

The Breaking Bad prequel Better Call Saul is starting to take shape, as Vince Gilligan's spinoff show just landed a major character from the original series.

Deadline first reported exclusively that Jonathan Banks, who famously played Saul's private investigator/all-around fixer Mike Ehrmantraut on Breaking Bad, has joined the cast of Better Call Saul alongside Bob Odenkirk, who plays the titular lawyer Saul Goodman. According to the report, Banks will be a series regular on the show.

Banks' inclusion likely means that the show will depict how Mike and Saul's relationship formed and how it ultimately lead to their dealings with Gustavo Fring (Giancarlo Esposito), Walter White (Bryan Cranston) and Jesse Pinkman (Aaron Paul).

Breaking Bad introduced Mike in the Season 2 finale to help Jesse clean up his apartment after Jane died. The character was a former Philadelphia police officer who became the head of security at Gus' chicken chain Los Pollos Hermanos and also served as enforcer in his crystal meth empire. He later did business with Walt and Jesse and began to work with them after Walt killed Gus. He met his end in the first half of Season 5 when Walt killed him just as he was about to quit the entire operation.

Banks' work on Breaking Bad earned him an Emmy nomination, the second in his career. The first came for his work on the 1987 drama series Wiseguy.

What do you think, Breaking Bad fans? What does Banks' inclusion mean for Better Call Saul? Let us know in the comments below.