James Remar's character is obsessed with the memory of September 11, 2001. In reality, Remar was in New York City in early September, riding the Ladder Company 3 truck with friend Patrick Brown. He left the company to film scenes for Dæmonicus (2001). As Ladder Company 3 suffered some of 9/11's heaviest casualties, including Brown, Remar says The X-Files saved his life.
The movie was filmed in 2016 under the title "Altar Rock", but not released until November 13, 2020, on video-on-demand during the COVID shutdown. The title was changed to "Dead Reckoning."
In the years between the movie's filming and its actual release, KJ Apa became famous for playing his career-defining role of Archie Andrews on Riverdale (2017).