Jeremy Irons isn’t one of those actors that’s going to say what you want to hear…unless you didn’t particularly like Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, and what you want to hear is that he agrees with you. Zack Snyder’s ambitious superhero project failed to impress critics and inspired a wave of negative reviews — all of which Jeremy Irons believes the film rightfully deserved. And he was in it, so he should know.

In an interview with The Daily Mail, Irons was his typically candid self on topics ranging from his disinterest in knighthood to his life as a semi-retired actor and, yes, Batman v Superman. Irons was inarguably one of the few legitimately good parts of Snyder’s film in his role as Bruce Wayne’s longtime butler, caretaker and confidant Alfred Pennyworth, bringing nuanced idiosyncrasy to a familiar character and sharing charming banter with Ben Affleck.

However, Irons not only understands why Batman v Superman received a “kicking” from critics (and some fans), but he agrees with it. When prompted about the largely negative reactions, Irons says, “Deservedly so. I mean it took £800 million, so the kicking didn’t matter but it was sort of overstuffed…” The actor readily admits that the film was “very muddled,” and goes on to speak more positively about Affleck’s standalone Batman movie, seemingly confirming the title:

I think the next one will be simpler. The script is certainly a lot smaller, it’s more linear…I’m tied into The Batman at the minute, which is nice because it’s a bit of income…not that I need a bit of an income.

Irons certainly makes it seem as though he doesn’t do much of anything for the money these days, but rather — like one of the twisted characters he became known for playing in earlier films — out of morbid curiosity. Or maybe just boredom. Or maybe because his kids thought it was cool. Who knows.

Affleck’s Batman film doesn’t yet have a release date, but the actor will reunite with Irons for Justice League: Part One, which is currently filming for a November 2017 release.

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