Can 'Batman V. Superman' Launch 'Justice League'?

Say farewell to 'Batman Vs. Superman' the 'Man Of Steel' sequel. Say hello, instead, to 'Batman V. Superman: Dawn Of Justice,' the first of "five or six" films leading into a Justice League movie. Oh boy.

This bit of suggested recalibration in the public eye comes via Kevin Smith, who historically knows more than most about what's coming next for Warner Bros. DC Comics superhero plans. He, like most, is no big fan of the official title of the movie, as he revealed on his podcast Hollywood Babble-On ("Why not just throw the “s” in there? Or spell it or something like that."), but he also urges people to stop thinking about it as a Man Of Steel sequel and start thinking of it as the lead-in to a never-ending push of moviest hat will long outlive us all and force us to contemplate out own mortality as we wait for an eventual Justice League movie.

They’re obviously beginning something, and there’s a stretch of these flick. And so this is the beginning of the Justice League, as we all suspected as they were announcing that cast. We were like, ‘This is the beginning of a Justice League movie.’ From what I understand now, it’s no longer like, ‘This is Superman 2.’ They’re not doing these things. They’re doing like, ‘Here’s Man of Steel. Here’s Batman V. Superman: Dawn of Justice.’ The next one is not like a sequel to one of the characters. They’re just going to keep building their universe for about five or six movies….But all of them…it’s supposed to tell one massive story, which is all Justice League oriented.

On the bright side? This could easily mean a Wonder Woman solo movie is inevitable, and coming up quickly. That's necessary and cool. On the down side, do we really have the patience to sit through five or six movies before they actually give us Justice League? That might work for some studios, but it'd also mean DC would have to work to build back some of the audience good will they lost with Man On Steel's reception. DC's direct competitor, Marvel, did about five films before they hit Avengers — Iron Man 1 and 2, Incredible Hulk, Thor, and Captain America: The First Avenger — but the rabidly beloved status of the first Iron Man movie definitely helped ease audiences over the obvious bumps of Hulk and even Thor.

It's possible DC could wow us with one or all of these "five or six" movies — and they're not even officially announced yet, so they aren't official — and maybe even recapture a bit of the magic of Christopher Nolan's Batman's reception. But for now the main thing following their next cinematic venture seems to be griping, and that'll have to change to sustain that many films.

Image: Warner Bros.