Zack Snyder has revealed that Kryptonians were originally not going to speak English but have their own language in Man of Steel. The Superman reboot was Snyder's first installment at the helm of the DCEU. Released in 2013, the film starred Henry Cavill in a fresh, somewhat darker take on the iconic superhero. Man of Steel also starred Amy Adams as Lois Lane, Russell Crowe as Jor-El, and Michael Shannon as General Zod. Despite middling reviews, the film became the highest-grossing solo Superman film ever, as well as ranking as one of the most profitable reboots of all time. It also garnered an increasingly passionate following in the years since.

Following his initial five-film DCEU plan, Snyder went on to direct the 2016 follow-up Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice to equally moderate success. A personal tragedy, however, led to Snyder having to step away from the third installment: 2017's Justice League. In his stead, Joss Whedon was brought on to overhaul the script and oversee extensive reshoots. The results proved were less than well-received by fans - prompting the emergence of the Snyder Cut campaign. As well as producing a wealth of charitable donations, those efforts recently bore fruit when it was announced that Snyder's version of Justice League will debut on HBO Max in 2021. The news emerged during a live-stream event for Man of Steel hosted by Snyder himself - during which the kind of details that made the film such a cult favorite were highlighted.

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Streaming via Snyder's personal account on Vero, the director offered a running commentary of the film. Complete with glimpses at his array of storyboards, he delved into the opening scenes taking place on the ailing Krypton, in the wake of Kal-El's birth and General Zod's attempt at a coup. As well as addressing the various animals native to the planet and the potential history of the Codex, he addressed the fact that everybody on the alien planet spoke English. "There was a time when we really, I'll be honest, early in the development of the movie where we talked about developing the language and having them speak only Kryptonian on Krypton," Snyder said. "And do the whole thing with subtitles and have everybody have to learn Kryptonian."

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Ultimately, however, they decided to forgo that element of the idea. "In conversation, I think we all felt like it could create a barrier to the viewer and not be as immersive right out of the box." The concept wasn't entirely scrapped, though, as they still created "a super complex Kryptonian alphabet" that could be read and written by those who took the time to learn it. The alphabet itself was developed by Dr. Christine Schreyer. Seen all throughout the opening scenes of Man of Steel, Snyder also revealed that portions of it translate to a famous Joseph Cambell quote - one that holds personal significance to him and that he believes mirrors Clark's heroic journey.

The residents of Krypton using their own language has roots in the original comics - known both as Kryptonian and Kryptonese, depending on the run. As such, the inclusion of it would no doubt have delighted fans. Not to mention it would have continued a trend of memorizing fictional languages, as exhibited by the widespread familiarity with Star Trek's Klingon and, more recently, Game of Thrones' Dothraki and High Valyrian. Equally, the potential continuation of General Zod and his forces using it on Earth would have lent itself to the feeling of an invasion film that Snyder wanted to infuse Man of Steel. The decision to scrap it, however, does make sense. Still, in any case, it serves as another testament to the depth of thinking and world-building Snyder tried to weave into his version of the DCEU.

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Source: Zack Snyder/Vero

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