Robert Pattinson was originally cast alongside Margaret Qualley as the lead, but had to leave the project due to filming commitments for The Batman (2022) following delays of shooting due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Taron Egerton was cast as Pattinson's replacement, however he dropped out as well before filming started due to personal reasons and Joe Alwyn took the role.
Was primarily filmed in Panama in fall 2021.
The screenplay was adapted from the novel "The Stars at Noon", written by author Denis Johnson and first published in 1986.
In a 2022 interview with Salon, Claire Denis spoke about why she did not shoot in Nicaragua and how shooting in Panama influenced the mood of the film: "When I read the novel, I loved it and Denis Johnson's style. I met with him and told him I would like to adapt that specific novel. He said, 'This was my first novel. I was in Managua during the civil war. When I wrote it, I wanted to be a journalist, but I couldn't publish any pieces.' Back in America, he wrote the book. It was a sad memory for him. I understood what he meant. So, I went to Nicaragua and Managua, and I realized it was impossible to go back to the Managua of 1984 and the time of civil war. Too many years had passed. Daniel Ortega, the president, transformed the city and so did an earthquake. To recreate a revolution like 1984 in the new Managua would not only cost a fortune but also would offend the Nicaraguan people who were part of the revolution. Then COVID came, and by the time we did the location scouting, Ortega was trying to get reelected. It had become a very dangerous place, and I could not hope to film in Nicaragua, so I had Plan B, which was Panama... The rain was a very real, very tactile character in Panama. I always organize myself and with the cinematography to know exactly what we are going to do and then, as we start shooting, we know which lens to use, the format, and the location. Making a film, then, is really to enter with the character into the film with the camera and me - to intrude the space of the story. For me, that's direction."