And now it's going to be that much harder.

With the success of The Avengers, I won't be surprised to hear rumblings about a Justice League movie, and I think that if one was ever to be made, it has the potential to be good.  Then again, a lot of things have had the potential to be good and turned out to be something else entirely.  However, I also think that the movie, should it ever be made, will both praise and curse The Avengers.  It will praise it because by showing that it is possible to make an ensemble piece, it opened the door for the movie being made at all.  However, it will also curse it because since The Avengers has done so well, the bar has been instantly raised for any future superhero ensemble movies, and these movies will be judged against it, whether or not they actually should.

Then there's the history.  DC movies seem to mainly focus on the big two: Batman and Superman, and these two have a rather rocky track record of successes and failures (not that Marvel doesn't have its own share of that when it comes to movies).  To make a Justice League movie, I think it would be smart to take the Marvel route of subtly connecting the movies, if only after the credits have rolled, and setting them in very similar, if not the same, universes.  It would also mean that maybe, just maybe, the movie studios would have to look beyond Bats and Supes and focus on some of the other members of the League (and perhaps see what they can do about Lantern, or just start over because it's not like that hasn't been done before) so that people are more acquainted with them and you don't have to do the incredible amount of backstory necessary to bring everyone together when the audience doesn't know who they are (Wonder Woman, Flash, I'm looking at you).

In the end, no matter how it's done, and whoever is hired to do it, the most important thing will be the story.  Explosions are nice and all, and I'll admit that they will draw a certain number of people, but it's the story that will bring them back.  That being said, it can't be all about a single character.  It has to be about the group, otherwise, what was the point of bringing everyone together?  I'll freely admit that my main fear about The Avengers was that it would be The Iron Man (and friends) Movie.  Don't get me wrong, I liked the Iron Man movies.  I thought they had their problems, but I liked them.  Still, I was going to see a movie about The Avengers and Iron Man is only one part of that group.  Thankfully, my fear was never realized, and the movie turned out to be good and something I'd go see again and want to own.  Yet with success comes danger.  The inevitable sequel is not a sure thing money maker and will have its own hurdles to overcome and will need a story capable of overcoming them.  The first movie was about getting the band together.  The second one will be more of a challenge because it will be about keeping the band together and answering the "Well, we've assembled.  Now what?" question, and while it will bring with it the goodwill created by the first, the second will still be judged against it and will have to be as good or better so that people don't find themselves yearning for past glories and saying, "That was good, but..."  Now, I think that it can be as good or better, but it will all depend on the story and the balance of characters, and what has happened in the solo movies in between, because if the process repeats itself, as I believe that it should, it's those movies that will be the foundation upon which the new house is built.