MOVIE NEWS – The final number at the box office for Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice is just getting there with a take of around $871 million worldwide. It’s a good number, but not one which would make studio execs want to pop champagne and celebrate feverishly. In fact, this was the first time in history that Batman and Superman were going to appear on the big screen together, and the film should have easily sailed to $1billion. Nevertheless, the very poor critical response to the film didn’t help make it, Jeremy Irons, Alfred from Batman v Superman star seems to think that is perfectly reasonable.

In a recent interview with Daily Mail, Jeremy Irons, who of course played Alfred in Batman v Superman, told that he felt the critical thrashing was fair. The actor also mentioned that ultimately the film made a nice sum of money, so it didn’t seem to affect things enough to stop the DCEU from moving forward. When the subject of the bad reviews came up, this is what had to say.

“Deservedly so. I mean it took over 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,” told Irons, when the subject of the bad reviews came up.

“The Next One” that Irons is referring to is obviously Justice League Part 1, which he will also be starring. According to his statements, it seems director Zack Snyder and also his creative team tried to take a look at what many audience members and critics took issue with when it came to Batman v Superman. That film had to accomplish an awful lot and that ultimately led to a fairly muddy and very “overstuffed” film, as Irons put it.

Besides of the poor reception there were several things that were somewhat universally enjoyed about the film and the dynamic between Alfred and Ben Affleck‘s Batman was perceived as one of the films true highlights, so it is nice that they are coming back for Justice League and presumably for the standalone Batman film that Affleck will be directing.

Since the post Batman v Superman fallout, Warner Bros. has shifted a lot of things around and aside from reprising his role, Affleck will also be serving as an Executive Producer for Justice League. Comic book writer turned studio exec Geoff Johns has also been shifted into a larger role to oversee the DC Comics films for Warner Bros.

While virtually every other star of Batman v Superman has come out and publically defended the film or tried to make light of or excuses for the bad reviews, it is interesting that Irons was so willing to be blunt about it. He may very well get some heat for it, but it is hard not to respect it and it also lends some credibility to his statements regarding the Justice League script. We’ll have to wait and see if Irons is right about Justice League when it hits theaters on November 17, 2017.