M. Night Shyamalan declared in an interview that the plot was inspired by the Washington D.C. "Operation Flagship" sting operation on December 15, 1985, which was organized by the U.S. Marshals Service and the Metropolitan Police to lure wanted fugitives to the Washington Convention Center under the pretense of free tickets. It resulted in 101 arrests, one of the largest and most successful mass arrests of fugitives by U.S. law enforcement. Operation Flagship was also the inspiration for the sting shown in Prohibida obsesión (1989).
While being distributed by a major studio (Warner Bros), Trap was allowed to resume filming under an interim agreement during the SAG-AFTRA strike as M. Night Shyamalan independently finances his own films.
Songs in the film were performed on stage as if it were a real concert. Cora Kozaris was the choreographer, and a videographer recorded onstage material and projected it onto the stadium's screens in real-time. The shoot involved thousands of extras, who were not told what the film was about but received Saleka Shyamalan's music beforehand to be able to sing along. Josh Hartnett recalled multiple extras consoling him because they thought he was nervous and were unaware of the character he was playing.
When M. Night Shyamalan was figuring out who to cast as the lead in "Trap," Josh Hartnett went to Ireland during production of Observados (2024) and had lunch with him. The two talked about Oppenheimer (2023), Black Mirror (2011), and living outside of Hollywood. When they spoke of being fathers to three girls each, Shyamalan knew Hartnett was perfect for the role.
About ten minutes into the movie, as the SWAT cars are approaching on the road, a billboard is visible in the background advertising the movie Observados (2024), which was produced by M. Night Shyamalan and directed by his daughter Ishana Shyamalan.