The script Trey Edward Shults sent to Sterling K. Brown was a PDF with embedded music cues, varying font sizes and colors, and notes about aspect ratio changes.
It was erroneously reported when the film was announced that it was going to be a musical.
Trey Edward Shults's third consecutive collaboration with A24, following Krisha (2015) and It Comes at Night (2017).
It was not filmed in the same house as Krisha. The Krisha house was in Texas and the Waves house is in Florida. They look similar and Shults has said it felt meant to be.
One major fan of this film is Hamilton (2020) co-star Leslie Odom Jr., who compared it to the Oscar-winning Korean phenom Parasite (2019) because "They're obviously both tremendous achievements in filmmaking. They both deal with class. They're both about messiness and the strengths of family. And both of the movies packed a genuine surprise for me." Also, "Waves" actress Renée Elise Goldsberry (Catherine) co-starred with Odom in "Hamilton" (and both studied theater at Carnege-Mellon University).