Ironically, the movie's release occurred when the real Cincinnati Public Library was being taken over by activists who were demanding the leadership not sell one of the downtown buildings.
The first film directed by Emilio Estevez which does not feature either his father, Martin Sheen or his brother, Charlie Sheen, in the cast.
Has been in development for over six years. Aubrey Plaza, Zoe Saldana, and Justin Long were all rumoured to appear in the film at one time or another.
The second film in which Emilio Estevez character spends most of the film in a library. The first being the 80's classic The Breakfast Club (1985).
Rapper Rhymefest portrays Big George in this film. He also wrote and performed three songs for the film's soundtrack: "Weaponized," "See Clear," and "Make Noise."
Big George spends a large chunk of the film isolating himself from others, reading a book at one of the tables. A quick shot during at the halfway point reveals that the book is, fittingly, Thomas Dumm's "Loneliness as a Way of Life."
Due to the long development process of the film, it was shaped by such events as the Occupy Wall Street movement. In an interview, Emilio Estevez admitted that he was concerned about being called an opportunist for making his film in the wake of those social events.
According to Michael Kenneth Williams, the film's cast had access to trailers during production, but many of them voluntarily spent their nights in the library instead. It became an act of solidarity to better understand what their characters would have been going through.
Jacob Vargas and Christian Slater had previously appeared in Emilio Estevez's film Bobby (2006) together.
As with his previous film The Way (2010), both of Emilio Estevez's children participated in the film's production. Taylor Estevez is credited as a producer and stunt coordinator, while Paloma Estevez contributed music to the film's soundtrack.