Aug. 1, 2013 -- intro: For the past five seasons, "Breaking Bad" fans have watched Walter White transform from a bumbling high school chemistry teacher into Heisenberg, the ruthless international meth kingpin -- a character that will likely be remembered as one of television's greatest anti-heroes.

But the book on Walter, his meth-dealing partner Jesse Pinkman and their booming drug empire, is about to close. On Aug. 11, AMC will premiere the second part of its Emmy-winning series' fifth season -- the final "Breaking Bad" episodes.

"Nightline" went behind the scenes with the show's cast and show creator Vince Gilligan as they were filming those last episodes for some dropped hints and foreboding premonitions about what happens to their characters.

So gear up for the premiere, and take a look at the eight things you probably didn't know about "Breaking Bad's" upcoming part two of the fifth and final season.

WARNING: If you want to block out all possible spoilers, then stop reading now. Watch the full story on "Nightline" tonight at 12:35 a.m. ET

quicklist: 1 title: Bryan Cranston on Walter White: 'It's Called 'Breaking Bad' not 'Breaking Good"' text: In talking with "Nightline," actor Bryan Cranston, who plays Walter White, said at the time that he didn't know what happened to his character -- and he didn't want to until he has to.

"I made it a policy since the very first season not to know too far in advance," Cranston said. "So I'll read a script of the next episode about five, six days before we start shooting that episode and that's as close as I get to it. That's when I discover what Walter White is going to do."

Walter starts off the second half of season 5 thinking he is in a good place, Cranston said. He has money and influence, his enemy Gus Fring, a brutal meth distributor, is dead, but he seems to be longing for the days when life was simpler.

"It would be [Walter's] greatest wish for the last few months of his life to be able to have a boring mundane world to live in ... knowing that his family is taken care of for the rest of their lives," he said. "He's not going to get it. ... There is going be some trouble. There's going to be some bad things happening. It's 'Breaking Bad,' not 'Breaking Good.'"

quicklist: 2 title: Bryan Cranston Doesn't Care If Walter White Gets Killed Off text: And if Walter White is killed at the end of the finale, Bryan Cranston said he would be fine with that. "It would make sense if he is [killed]. In some way it would make sense if he isn't," he said. "Either way, I'm along for the ride."

quicklist: 3 title: Bryan Cranston Is Dropping Weight for His 'Diminishing' Character text: As Walter White morphed from a 50-year-old man with little confidence into a greedy and dangerous drug lord, Cranston said he talked a lot with show creator Vince Gilligan about how his character's changing role would affect his physical appearance.

To kick off the second part of season 5, Cranston said he wanted Walter to appear as though his body had been wrecked with stress -- not just from physical danger but emotional danger.

"How [his work] has jeopardized relationships, and fear and anxiety and stress, and those things," Cranston said. "That's why I'm dropping more weight now, because it just feels right to as this man diminishes before our eyes, I wanted to be able to feel what that's like to get small."

quicklist: 4 title: Jesse Pinkman Might Not Really Be Out of the Meth Game text: At the end of the first half of season 5, Jesse Pickman is distraught over the death of an innocent boy after a train robbery goes awry. He has a breakdown in front of Walter in which he tells him he is done with the meth trade. He's out.

But Aaron Paul, who portrays Jesse, said his character might not be done yet.

"[Jesse] is more lost than he has ever been, and he is struggling to pick up the pieces," Paul said. "But it's never that easy really. It's never that easy. So it's definitely somewhere I didn't see it going, and that's what's so great about this show and this gig is that it's always surprising. It's always a shock."

quicklist: 5 title: Will Jesse Be Killed Off? Aaron Paul Says He's Worried text: Although he wouldn't reveal whether Jesse lives or dies in the "Breaking Bad" finale, Aaron Paul admitted that he was worried about his character's fate.

"Yeah, of course, I think every character on the show should be worried," Paul said, "If Jesse ends up going out, I hope he goes out guns blazing, but I don't know if that's going to be the case."

"I think the writers of 'Breaking Bad' have decided to just burn all the bridges around, because it's the final goodbye," he added. "So it's going to be a brutal, violent finish."

quicklist: 6 title: Will Walter Jr. Choose His Uncle or His Father? RJ Matte Thinks Father text: Throughout the series, Walter and Skyler White's son, Walter Jr., has had to grapple with an emotionally troubled father whom he looks up to as a role model, while being oblivious to Walter's treacherous drug business.

But when his parents separate, Walter Jr. goes to live with his aunt and uncle, the Schraders, and has to make a choice.

"It's going to end up being your father or your uncle, who are you ... going to side with when it gets down to the life or death?" said RJ Mitte, who portrays Walt Jr. "I think it's going to be his dad. At the end of the day, blood is thicker than water."

quicklist: 7 title: Vince Gilligan Cried When He Wrote Series Finale text: When show creator Vince Gilligan sat down to write the "Breaking Bad" series finale, he said he "teared up" -- is it because Walter White dies in the end?

"It's because it suddenly dawned on me that I'm never going to be writing this character again. It was a lot of water under the bridge," Gilligan said. "[But] we're not going out with a whimper. I can tell you that."

quicklist: 8 title: Bryan Cranston Is 'Open' to a Holly White 'Breaking Bad' Spinoff text: So if Walter White and Jesse Pinkman find themselves six feet under, or they ride off into the sunset to the tune of "Don't Stop Believing" before cutting to black, and the "Breaking Bad" series comes to its final resting place, what's next?

Bryan Cranston had an idea -- a "Breaking Bad" spinoff with Walter and Skyler White's daughter, Holly White, who takes over the family business.

"Everybody might be dead [in the end], our little baby daughter might be the only one left alive," Cranston said. "Holly White, 'Breaking Bad' continues. She takes over in her dad's footsteps. I don't know. I would be open to it."

Watch the full story on "Nightline" tonight at 12:35 a.m. ET