In the early years of development, Shia LaBeouf dropped out of the project, and the title role was briefly given to Zac Efron, before LaBeouf returned to the project.
Evan Rachel Wood (Gabi Ibanescu) publicly attacked the MPAA via Twitter for forcing Director Fredrik Bond to remove a scene from this movie where her character receives oral sex, to obtain an R rating. She called it another shameful example of the MPAA censoring female sexuality, whereas the organization had allowed many acts of graphic violence in this movie without demanding alterations.
The screenplay for this movie was featured in the 2007 Blacklist; a list of the "most liked" unmade scripts of the year.