The film was chosen as part of the 2019 Blacklist, an annual compendium of the most liked unproduced scripts that has included eventual Oscar winners like Juno (2007), Argo (2012), and Jojo Rabbit (2019).
Dark spots are visible in the right upper corner of the screen several times (at around 18 minutes in, or at about the 52 minute mark, for example) during the movie, just like you would see in an old projection in movie theaters. The purpose of the black spots was so that the projectionist knew when the reel needed changing. One spot appears briefly a few seconds before the reel needs changing and a second one to make the switch to the next reel.
Director Juel Taylor stated that part of the inspiration for the film was reconnecting with an old friend who ran into trouble and spent time in prison. "Something really bad happened to him that was outside of his control," said Taylor. "It really took him off the map for years." Taylor's friend ended up suffering from depression for nearly a decade. This unfortunate situation caused the director to reconsider and reassess how blame and responsibility, or lack thereof, in the justice system, caused his friend's life to be upended.
At the beginning of the film, Fontaine goes to the convenience store to buy a scratch-off lottery ticket and Anaconda Malt Liquor. The liquor is derived from the film, Black Dynamite (2009), another blaxploitation parody comedy. Michael Jai White, who is one of the writers of Black Dynamite (2009), allowed director Juel Taylor to use the Anaconda Malt Liquor idea in this film as homage to the former film.