Lead actors Lily James and Shazad Latif have been long time friends in real life.
In a June 2022 profile of Emma Thompson in the New York Times Magazine, Nicole Sperling reported that Thompson's role in this movie was created specifically for her: "The writer Jemima Khan told Thompson that she had always wanted the actress to be her mother, so she wrote her a role in the upcoming film 'What's Love Got to Do With It?'
Filming started two years before the film was released. A test screening in late 2021 resulted in the film being re-edited and some additional filming required. A second test screening in 2022 led to some more changes being made before a final cut was decided on.
Several characters in this movie have the last name Khan, which is also the (married) last name of the screenwriter, Jemima Goldsmith Khan. This is not necessarily a self-reference on the part of Jemima Khan or a reference to the source of her married name, her ex-husband, Imran Khan--because "Khan" is one of the most common last names among Asian Muslims. The name originates from a hereditary or military title denoting a ruler or chief.
At one point, Lily James' character tells her best friends' kids a fairytale about Cinderella. Lily James starred as Cinderella in Disney's live action adaption Cinderella (2015).