Xavier Elie auditioned for the role at age 13, despite the age requirement being between 14-16. One week later - after submitting two audition tapes, Elie was cast in the lead role of James.
Jenna Wilcox, who plays Mrs. Hansen in the film, is Izzy McCrary's aunt.
Despite each character being based on their real-life counterparts, the actors had the freedom to interpret what their counterparts were like when they were younger.
While working on the final revisions for the film, editor Yang Zahn praised Morgan, having said, "You know, English is not my first language - but what you wrote is very beautiful."
The film initially had more than six nods to movies and celebrity figures including a scene paying homage to the late basketball player, Kobe Bryant. While writing the screenplay, Dorian J. Morgan wrote a scene in which James would shout "Kobe" each time he shot pieces of trash into a trashcan.