Despite remaining one of WB's flagship franchises over the past four years, the DC Extended Universe has not enjoyed immense popularity among critic circles, especially compared to its Marvel counterpart. Nonetheless. Man of Steel, Batman v Superman and Suicide Squad have all generated considerable enough box office sales to sustain the franchise, and with thousands of DC Comics fans remaining faithful, the production team behind the films continues to be overall optimistic when it comes to the future films' potential success. It is therefore a surprising development to hear one of Justice League's own actors to flat-out state that she doesn't expect the Film to be better than Marvel's avengers, which is exactly what Diane Lane did.

Justice League - DC's flagship superhero teamup film - will not be better than Avengers

In a recent interview with Andy Cohen, the actress who plays Martha Kent in the superhero franchise has responded with a flat no when asked if the film would be better than the Avengers, adding that she would "hate to disappoint." Given the still far-off November release date for what may be WB's most highly anticipated film of 2017, such brutal frankness may be cause for alarm for both fans and the production team behind the film. It is worth noting that prior to the critical reception of Batman v Superman, which now sits at a 27% on Rotten Tomatoes, the cast and crew made no secret of their optimism and devotion to the film.

Does that suggest that Justice League may prove to be even less successful than Avengers or was the actress simply expressing a personal opinion? Only time will tell, but with the DCEU's track record, many fans' hopes now hinge on the film's success.

What the future may hold for a dwindling DC Universe

If Lane's early assessment of the film proves to be correct, a third (or fourth, depending on Wonder Woman's success) critical failure out of five films may leave the DCEU in a critical state.

Even in the wake of last year's Batman v Superman and later Suicide Squad, rumors of a franchise reboot quickly started circulating. With WB's slated schedule of upcoming films undergoing constant revisions many fans are beginning to wonder if, in the near future, the series will be rebranded as a Batman-centric franchise, or even scrapped altogether.

While its hard to predict the commercial success of a film months before its release, this may still be an early sign that the franchise will not carry on as planned.
© ALL RIGHTS RESERVED