Nowadays, almost all of the big Hollywood studios try really hard to build a cohesive and successful shared universe, but most of them fail to understand the roots of Marvel's success. Temptation to reach
The Avengers' numbers is strong, but executives tend to forget that Kevin Feige&Co. has thoughtfully produced five movies before the studio finally hit the big blue.
Michael Green, the co-writer of
Blade Runner 2049, recently discussed with Entertainment Weekly the MCU’s influence on the industry and how Marvel made him change his approach during the scripting of the highly anticipated Denis Villeneuve’s sequel. EW’s Sara Vilkomerson asked Green about creating shared universes and keeping the door open to continue the story in the potential future installments. The writer said:
"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. 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".
Considering the sequel’s almost universal appeal, it seems like Green&Co. did manage to write a self-contained story and avoid the common shared universes’ traps. Be sure to leave your thoughts on
Blade Runner 2049 and the MCU’s influence on Hollywood down below.