In what is likely to be a smart move to separate the upcoming spin-off Better Call Saul from Breaking Bad, the creators have confirmed that the two stars of the original series will not appear in the new one - for the first season at least.

"Walt and Jesse will not appear in season one. We really want this to stand on it's own," Peter Gould - one of the new programme's co-creators - said during the Television Critics Association press tour earlier today. However, according to the Hollywood Reporter, he did not discount the possibility of an appearance in a future season.

Vince Gilligan, the creator of Breaking Bad and co-creator of Better Call Saul, commented on the possibility of characters from Breaking Bad making an appearance in Saul, saying "if it feels like a stunt, then we in the writer's room will feel like we have done something wrong."

It seems like a fairly definitive confirmation that the two characters will not appear in season one, but one should never rule out a potential surprise - although it would be curious to see how they could actually work an appearance into the plot.

As fans will surely be aware, the new show is a prequel to Breaking Bad, focusing on attorney Saul Goodman (real name Jimmy McGill) played by Bob Odenkirk. Jonathan Banks is also reprising his role as fan favourite and 'fixer' Mike Ehrmantraut.

Bryan Cranston - Heisenberg himself - has previously been confirmed as a director of an episode of Better Call Saul.

AMC also released an extended trailer for the new show, which you can watch below. The show will premiere next month.