Glatzer and Westmoreland were approached by Lex Lutzus and James Brown to adapt Genova's novel in 2011, when Glatzer had just been diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS).
Glatzer dan Westmoreland ditunjuk oleh Lex Lutzus dan James Brown untuk mengadaptasi novel Genova pada 2011, saat Glatzer didiagnosa mengidap penyakit amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS).