From screenwriter Michael Green a new interview with Entertainment Weekly:
Crazy how so many miss out on such a simple lesson. But it's no surprise that a piece of art as good as 2049 learned all the right lessons from the MCU.
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 dont 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: whats our story and make sure you have a story that is worth the title.
Crazy how so many miss out on such a simple lesson. But it's no surprise that a piece of art as good as 2049 learned all the right lessons from the MCU.