After being in development for 12 years, the film was released in September 2010.
Rachelle Lefevre lost her role in The Twilight Saga: Eclipse (2010) because of commitment to this film.
In the film, Miriam Grant (Rosamund Pike) and the 2nd Mrs P (Minnie Driver) both attended McGill University. Ironically, out of all three actresses to play Barney's wives, it is the actress playing Clara (Rachelle Lefevre) who is an actual graduate of McGill University.
Four noted Canadian film directors make cameo appearances in the film. We see Atom Egoyan as a director of O'Malley of the North, Ted Kotcheff as the conductor on the train, David Cronenberg as another of O'Malley's directors, and Denys Arcand as the head waiter at the Ritz, and, although better known for their acting, Paul Gross and Saul Rubinek are also movie directors.