The film was shot under the title "The Eighth Day". This was a reference to the Biblical creation story, which states that the earth was created in six days and on the seventh day, God rested. The original title implies the tampering of man with what God has already made, and "The Eighth Day" is still the name of the center in the movie where the children are engineered, as noted on the DVD deleted scenes. By the time the much-delayed release of the film came around, the same title had been used by the Belgian film The Eighth Day (1996). Because of this, writer-director Andrew Niccol was forced to choose a new title for his film. "The Eighth Day of Creation" is also a history of molecular biology, written by Horace Judson in 1979 and updated in 1996. The coincidence of the second edition may also have forced reconsideration.