‘Blade Runner 2049’ Producer Says Film Was Partially Inspired By The MCU

Blade Runner 2049 is coming in a little under estimates with around a $31.5 million box office haul domestically in its opening weekend.While coming in under estimates, the sequel 30-plus years in the making had an ending in which filmmakers can expand on the franchise, if they so choose.

Speaking about world and franchise building, 2049 scribe Michael Green sat down with EW to talk about some of the influences another cinematic universe had on the production starring Ryan Gosling and Harrison Ford.

“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,” Green said.”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.”

Green went on to explain the process of putting together the story behind 2049.

“If you begin by trying to build the universe before creating a film worth watching, well, there be dragons,” he reflected.”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.”

Thirty years after the events of the first film, a new blade runner, LAPD Officer K (Ryan Gosling), unearths a long-buried secret that has the potential to plunge what’s left of society into chaos. K’s discovery leads him on a quest to find Rick Deckard (Harrison Ford), a former LAPD blade runner who has been missing for 30 years.

The cast features Ryan Gosling, Harrison Ford, Robin Wright, Lennie James, Dave Bautista, Ana de Armas, Sylvia Hoeks, Carla Juri, Mackenzie Davis, Barkhad Abdi, David Dastmalchian, and Jared Leto.

The sequel to the 1982 original was directed by Denis Villeneuve (Arrival, Sicario, Prisoners). It’s written by Hampton Fancher and Michael Green, and succeeds the initial story by Fancher and David Peoples based on Philip K. Dick’s novel Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep.

Blade Runner 2049 is in theaters now.