Better Call Saul's Lack Of CGI Deaging Avoids A Big Character Problem
Better Call Saul doesn't use any digital de-aging VFX, and for a show that prioritizes character drama above all else, that's a wise decision. Better Call Saul's titular character first appeared on AMC's Breaking Bad in 2009, however, Saul Goodman (aka Jimmy McGill) is still on screens thirteen years later. The gap between the two shows in the Breaking Bad universe is smaller, with Breaking Bad set between 2008 and 2010, and its prequel Better Call Saul takes place between 2002 and 2004. Nonetheless, some of Better Call Saul's main characters, namely Jimmy (Bob Odenkirk), Mike Ehrmantraut (Jonathan Banks), and Gus Fring (Giancarlo Esposito) do all look noticeably older in the prequel, despite their characters being several years younger than when they first appeared on screens.
As such, the use of digital de-aging VFX for Better Call Saul characters was considered for the show but as producer Thomas Schnauz explained, they «don't have the time or money for that.» De-aging VFX has become somewhat of a staple in modern TV and movies, especially with the current landscape's fondness for prequels. Despite the advancements in technology, not all examples of de-aging CGI have been met with universal acclaim. In Martin Scorsese's The Irishman, CGI transforms Al Pacino, Robert DeNiro, and Joe Pesci into younger versions of themselves but while their faces looked believable, the discrepancy between their blemish-free faces and older bodies was obvious.
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According to Schnauz, Better Call Saul's aversion to de-aging VFX is for purely financial and practical reasons, but the show's choice to not use it works wonders for the show. Sure, it may be
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