There has been a horde of actors who have publicly spoken about their feelings for the DCU (formerly DCEU). Time and again, many stars have come out and expressed their distaste for Marvel’s rival superhero universe. Jeremy Irons also falls under this list as he didn’t hesitate to speak about the reason for Batman v Superman‘s failure publicly.
While the DCU is currently on a hiatus and will be kicked off by James Gunn’s Max series Creature Commandos, things were quite rough when we had the DCEU. Some of the leading names from the universe spoke against the experiences they had. Although it doesn’t look like Jeremy Irons had any personal issues, he stated that Batman v Superman became too muddled which led to its failure.
What did DCU’s Alfred say about the Batman v Superman movie?
Jeremy Irons is known for playing the role of Batman’s iconic butler Alfred Pennyworth. He was introduced in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice. Despite earning about $872 million, it has been largely considered a failure due to the unfavorable reviews received as well as a performance below expectations.
However, uncountable reasons can be listed as why the Ben Affleck and Henry Cavill movie was such a failure. When Jeremy Irons talked to the Daily Mail about the negative reviews received by the 2016 movie, he claimed that the film was overstuffed and looked muddled.
“Deservedly so. I mean it took $800 million, so the kicking didn’t matter but it was sort of overstuffed … It was very muddled. I think the next one will be simpler. The script is certainly a lot smaller, it’s more linear.”
Even though Jeremy Irons’ statement showed his hope for the sequel Justice League, the star couldn’t be more wrong. When DCU’s Alfred appeared in another interview, he was frank to admit that there can never be anything worse than 2017’s Justice League.
Jeremy Irons doesn’t consider anything lower than the Justice League
Although we saw Jeremy Irons hoping the 2017 Justice League would fulfill everybody’s expectations, that was not the case. He was more utterly wrong as the movie turned out to be a debacle in itself. After Zack Snyder left the project, Joss Whedon was brought to helm the project. But the changes incorporated by him and the studio made the boat capsize in no time.
It is considered to be a major reason why DCEU could never be what DCU aspires to become. Later after fan protests, when the Snyder Cut was released, Jeremy Irons was asked if he saw the director’s cut. Despite not watching it, Irons confidently stated that it can’t be worse than Justice League (via Variety).
“Strangely, I think I have it and I haven’t seen it. I shall have to hunt it out and see if I have it somewhere online or on a DVD. I remember talking to Zack [Snyder] before he did it and being very interested to see what he came up with. It couldn’t have been worse… I don’t think it could have been, could it?”
Jeremy Irons can’t be blamed for what happened in the DCU before James Gunn and Peter Safran sat on the head chairs. DCEU was not properly planned and proved to be a mess that tried terribly to be MCU without spending adequate time. Aquaman and the Last Kingdom will be the last project under the old regime while Superman: Legacy will be the first big theatrical under Gunn’s DCU.
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