This was to have originally been a production of American Playhouse, a division of PBS, that would have co-financed this movie with The Samuel Goldwyn Company. However, the folding of the American Playhouse label combined with Goldwyn's financial troubles led to this movie going into turnaround, where it was eventually produced by Castle Rock Entertainment.
Second film in which Helen Mirren and John Lynch appear together. Both starred in Cal (1984), which is also set during the Troubles. Additionally, Lynch also co-starred in the critically acclaimed film En el nombre del padre (1993), depicting the wrongful imprisonment of the Guildford Four during the Troubles (both Some Mother's Son and In the Name of the Father were written by Jim Sheridan ).
When it was first released in the UK, star & associate producer Helen Mirren was invited as a guest on the BBC TV weekly lottery draw, but due to the controversial subject matter of the film, she wasn't allowed to mention or promote the film. Mirren declined to appear.
This was the first portrayal of Bobby Sands in a feature film. He was later portrayed in H3 (2001) and Hunger (2008).