“Digger” isn’t what many would consider a great title for a movie.
The title is based Tom Cruise‘s oil baron character in the film, Digger Rockwell, but it doesn’t really tell the audience what the movie is about, or suggest high amounts of intrigue, excitement or drama.
But if you’re wondering how the studio bosses at Warner Bros. and Legendary got behind the title, it’s much easier to understand once you learn the film’s original title.
In an interview with IndieWire, director Alejandro G. Iñárritu revealed he initially wanted to call the film Blah, Blah, Blah.
“[Blah, Blah, Blah] was a reference to this incredible, terrible, terrifying weapon that we as humans have, which is the tongue,” Iñárritu said. “It can change your perception of the reality that your body is experiencing. It can make you believe in something that you don’t see.”
Given the film’s extremely polarized — some scathing — reviews, one can only imagine all the fun critics would have had reviewing the film if it had been titled Blah, Blah, Blah.
Iñárritu also praised the studios for taking a big bet on the film, which has an estimated budget of $125 million.
“In the world of fear we are living in, everybody wants certainty,” Iñárritu said. “This film is not any of that. For it to be made and to nail the tone was a big bet. But to their credit, Warner Bros. and Legendary were really bold. They never hesitated. They believed in this film — the urgency, the absurdity, the humanity, the nowness that it has.”
While reviews are still coming in, so far Digger has a 53 percent positive rating on Rotten Tomatoes across 113 reviews, a split that almost perfectly reflects the polarized response to the film.
On Tuesday, Warners launched an online ad that pushed back on critics, urging moviegoers to see the film and then “decide for yourself.”
Digger opens in theaters Friday, Oct. 2.