Could Justice League film hang on Man of Steel success?

The fate of the forthcoming 'Justice League' film may depend on the box office success of 'Man of Steel', according to reports.

The film is already slated for a 2015 release, with 'Gangster Squad' writer Will Beall working on a script, but it's thought if 'Man of Steel' goes the way of Warner's recent flop 'Green Lantern', the likelihood of the DC Comic superhero supergroup taking on The Avengers is slim.

Hollywood industry magazine Variety says that 'Warner's top brass has indicated that they are awaiting the results of 'Man of Steel', which opens June 14, before moving further ahead'.

Rumours emerged last week that Superman, Batman, Green Lantern, Wonder Woman and The Flash would be the five key members of the group, with possible roles for Aquaman and Martian Manhunter.

However, judging by the trailers and the pedigree behind 'Man of Steel' - including director Zack Snyder and producer Christopher Nolan - it's unlikely that Warner would be facing a 'Green Lantern'-sized disappointment, if only because filmgoers will be curious to see the new incarnation of Superman, the first since Bryan Singer's 'Superman Returns' in 2006.

Meanwhile, David S. Goyer, who wrote 'Man of Steel' has said that the production was based on a 'realist' notion of Superman, rather than an overtly comic-book vision.

“We’re approaching ‘Superman’ as if it weren’t a comic book movie, as if it were real,” he told Empire. “I adore the (Richard) Donner films. Absolutely adore them. It just struck me that there was an idealist quality to them that may or may not work with today’s audience.

“It just struck me that if Superman really existed in the world, first of all, this story would be a story about first contact.

“He’s an alien. You can easily imagine a scenario in which we’d be doing a film like 'E.T.', as opposed to him running around in tights. If the world found out he existed, it would be the biggest thing that ever happened in human history.

“It falls into that idea of trying to humanise the inhuman. He’s made out of steel, he’s not made out of flesh, metaphorically speaking. We are portraying him as a man, yet he’s not a man.”

'Man of Steel' lands in the UK on June 14.