In the film's source novel, the central setting was Berlin, Germany, but Pierce Brosnan stated that filming there would be too expensive, so the key shooting locale was changed to Belgrade, Serbia.
The birth date stated in Peter Devereaux's (Pierce Brosnan's) file, May 16, 1953, is Brosnan's real-life birth date.
Daniel Craig was originally cast to play Devereaux, but director Roger Donaldson had to recast at the last minute due to Craig's other commitments. By this point, Donaldson was so keen to have a "Bond" play this darker role, he tried to get Sir Sean Connery, but he was too old to run around. Pierce Brosnan heard about this and approached him, saying he "can play it dark", and even started drinking again to get into character. Donaldson was impressed with his dedication and cast him. The film was a runaway success, and there were rumors that a sequel, "December's Child" would be made.
The piece of music that Alice Fournier (Olga Kurylenko) plays part of is "Gnossienne No. 3" by Erik Satie. Kurylenko studied piano for seven years as a child.