Cynthia Erivo first became attached to the movie when she was sent a copy of Alexander Maksik's 'A Marker to Measure Drift' shortly after it was published in 2013. So it came way before her eventual Best Actress Oscar nomination for Harriet (2019).
As director Anthony Chen revealed when speaking to The Straits Times in Singapore ahead of the limited release in the country, the Liberia scenes was actually filmed in Greece at the height of the pandemic lockdowns around the world back in 2022. Filming began in March 2022 in Greece, ahead of the tourist season in May of that same year. Chen also revealed to The Straits Times that extras were used to make it look like a holiday resort as a result.
Director Anthony Chen's first English-language feature, and technically his third as it first premiered at the Sundance Film Festival on January 2023 before Ran dong (2023) premiered at the Cannes Film Festival in May of the same year.
The first movie from director Anthony Chen where he is not credited as a writer, though the first time it is adapted from a literary source.