Bryan Cranston Is Coming Back As Walter White In A Wholesome And Unexpected Way

Actor Bryan Cranston famously played Walter White in five seasons of Breaking Bad before hanging up the Heisenberg hat and calling it quits. But now, he’s coming back to play White once again, but not in any Breaking Bad revival. Rather, he’s returning in a one-off, promotional appearance similar to how he came back to play White for a Super Bowl commercial.

For his latest return, Cranston will appear in 15- and 30-second public service announcements in New Mexico to raise awareness for why it’s bad to litter. The ad campaign is called “Breaking Bad Habits,” and in it, Cranston, as White, tells viewers with a menacing tone, “Keep litter out of my territory.”

Walter White is a known litterer, as he famously threw a pizza on the roof of his house one time. He also littered New Mexico with a trail of death and destruction. But even Walter White is capable of changing his ways.

New Mexico governor Michelle Lujan Grisham told The Associated Press, “We’re going to talk about what you can do to reduce packaging and plastics and have a discussion about that and about where they go.”

Breaking Bad famously filmed in New Mexico and helped inspire a tourism boom to the state. New Mexico will spend $3 million in state funds to create billboards and TV spots, as well as t-shirts and ads plastered on buses. The money will also help pay for trash cleanup throughout the state.

“Most public service campaigns work using common sense and empathy … that’s not what we did here!” Cranston said, as reported by the Santa Fe New Mexican. “Walter White represents a certain threat in the message … but all in good fun. I love New Mexico. It is a naturally beautiful state–rich in culture. Let’s do what we can to keep it beautiful.”

Lujan Grishman said putting the TV ads together “took a lot of work,” in part because the state had to get Sony Pictures TV to approve the licensing. Albuquerque mayor Martin Chavez is owed thanks as well, Lujan Grishman said, for his role in getting Cranston to volunteer to do the ads.

Breaking Bad creator Vince Gilligan said he approves the anti-littering ad campaign, saying it is canonically correct that Walter White would be a person who hates litter.

“I jumped at the chance, and I had a lot of fun making it. And I think it is for a very good cause, because we live here in the aptly named Land of Enchantment. And anything we can do to keep it enchanting and enchanted, we need to do,” he said.

In addition to reprising his role as Walter White in the Super Bowl ad for PopCorners, Cranston returned as the teacher-turned-meth-kingpin in an episode of Better Call Saul. He also appeared as White in the Breaking Bad movie El Camino.

There are no more Breaking Bad spin-offs planned, and Gilligan is now making a sci-fi series for Apple with Better Call Saul’s Rhea Seehorn.