The Unanswered Questions of BLADE RUNNER 2049 Were Not Meant to Be Explained in Sequels
It seems that the current state of the film industry is that studios want their films to launch franchises. But, it looks like Blade Runner 2049 has no intention of following that expectation.
In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, Blade Runner 2049 co-writer Michael Green revealed that there was no talk of further sequels or spinoffs while they were building the follow-up to the iconic 1982 sci-fi film Blade Runner.
“At no point in the creation of this story or script did anyone talk about spin-offs or how might things continue. It was always: ‘What’s our story?’ And make sure you have a story that is worth the title,” Green said.
That is interesting because there's plenty of stuff in Blade Runner 2049 that could launch other movies. Characters are introduced, that are still alive and breathing at the end of the film.
Green said Marvel is actually a great example of how to build a universe well, by making a good film first and a piece of sequel bait second.
"So many studios and property rights holders have seen the success of Marvel, which we all adore and wonder how to replicate it. For me, the lesson of Marvel is: you don’t begin by building a universe. You begin by telling a story worth telling. And if it is a great story directed well and performed brilliantly and stays with people, it will become the black hole around which a galaxy can form. If you begin by trying to build the universe before creating a film worth watching, well, there be dragons."
It is also very likely that Blade Runner 2049 won't even get the chance to launch its own cinematic universe even if it wanted to. The movie underperformed in its opening weekend, bringing in about $31-million in North America instead of the expected $50-million. It is doing better internationally. But considering the film cost about $150-million to make, and it’s failing to draw younger people and women, there is little to no chance the film will see another sequel.
It's not surprising that the film is underperforming as the movie was made for a very specific audience.