A. Scott Berg's biography "Max Perkins: Editor of Genius", on which the film is based, won the National Book Award in 1978.
The movie has been in development for 15 years, according to screenwriter John Logan, who first read the book in 1983.
In preparation for his part, Jude Law visited the The Thomas Wolfe Memorial in Wolfe's hometown Asheville, NC.
Thomas Wolfe was 6'6", while Jude Law is 6'0" tall. Because of his height, Wolfe was known to write using the top of his refrigerator as a desk, which is shown in a scene in the movie, although the relative height of the refrigerator to the writer versus the actor would have been different.
Michael Grandage's debut as director of a feature film.