Lily Collins was the original choice for Juliet but dropped out due to scheduling conflicts. Hailee Steinfeld later replaced Collins.
While the film closely follows the plot of the play, it features very little of the William Shakespeare text.
Logan Lerman, Sam Claflin, Josh Hutcherson and Benjamin Gur auditioned for the role of Romeo. However, Douglas Booth was later cast instead.
James Horner was originally hired to write the music and indeed completed the score, which was subsequently rejected.