Loosely inspired by writer and director Brad Silberling's own experience. He was dating Rebecca Schaeffer at the time she was killed by an obsessed fan in 1989.
When the film was completed, Brad Silberling took a print up to Oregon, rented a private theater and showed it to Rebecca Schaeffer's parents. They had been involved in every draft of the screenplay.
The film's original title was "Baby's in Black", after The Beatles' song. The producers found the rights to the song too expensive, so the film was renamed "Moonlight Mile" after a lesser-known song by The Rolling Stones.
Inspired by the murder of director Brad Silberling's girlfriend, Rebecca Schaeffer. Silberling actually did end up moving in with Schaeffer's parents for a couple of months as Jake Gyllenhaal's character does in the film.
Writer and director Brad Silberling wrote the characters of Ben and JoJo Floss with Dustin Hoffman and Susan Sarandon in mind.