New ‘Saul’ season to begin filming

Production on the fourth season of the acclaimed AMC drama Better Call Saul began this week in Albuquerque.

“We are … rolling!!!” series co-creator Peter Gould tweeted Monday, appending the hashtag #ABQ.

Saul will employ 150 in-state crew members, as many as 100 New Mexico principal actors and roughly 1,500 New Mexico extras, according to the state Film Office.

“Over the last three seasons, Sony has proven to be an excellent partner with the state,” film office Director Nick Maniatis said, referring to the series’ production company.

A prequel to the celebrated Albuquerque-based antihero drama Breaking Bad,

Saul follows ethically disinclined Duke City lawyer Jimmy McGill in the years before he assumed the role of counsel and fixer, under the name “Saul Goodman,” for meth kingpin Walter White.

Bob Odenkirk, as McGill, has earned critical raves and numerous award nominations, most recently for best actor in a television drama at Sunday’s Golden Globes.

Co-stars Rhea Seehorn, Jonathan Banks and Michael McKean have also drawn praise for their performances as McGill’s co-counsel and sometime-lover, underworld business associate and cruel elder brother, respectively.

The series, as was the case with its predecessor, has been a showcase for Albuquerque, generating tourism interest in the featured real-life locales.

The fourth season, like the previous three, will comprise 10 episodes, scheduled to premiere in the fall.