Henry Cavill, aka Superman himself, just admitted that the DC movie franchise has problems.
He told The Rake, “Even if Marvel didn’t exist, we’d struggle,” adding that the style of certain DC movies “hasn’t necessarily worked.” In other words, he agrees with the poor critical reviews of Batman v Superman and Suicide Squad.
This is a pretty bold statement, considering the fact that Justice League comes out in less three weeks. It’s also refreshing to hear. You don’t often see actors criticizing a franchise they’re actively promoting, and this suggests (somewhat optimistically, perhaps), that things will change with Justice League. It implies that Warner Bros., Zach Snyder, and Joss Whedon have listened to the criticism of previous DC movies, and worked to correct the problems.
“Yes, [the franchise] has made money but it has not been a critical success; it hasn’t given everyone that sensation which superheroes should give the viewer,” said Cavill. “I feel like now the right mistakes have been made… we can start telling the stories in the way they need to be told. It is even better to come back from a mistake or stylistic error into the correct vein because it will make it seem that much stronger.”
He went on to praise Wonder Woman‘s success, hinting that he hoped it would carry over into future Superman movies. After Man of Steel and Batman v Superman, he undoubtedly wants to make a movie with Wonder Woman levels of popularity before he retires from the role.
Justice League comes out on Nov. 17.