Originally, the film was intended to be a sequel to Le deuxième commencement (2012). Laurent Delpit, André Schneider and Rossy de Palma were set to play the leads, but shortly before filming started, Laurent Delpit dropped out of the production, costing Vivàsvan Pictures hundreds of Euros. Schneider then re-wrote the script and asked director Antony Hickling to star in it. Eventually, production came to a halt and Schneider and Hickling co-produced One Deep Breath (2014). Eventually, Le cadeau (2013) was shot in December 2013, and Schneider didn't keep anything from his original script except the title.