In the early development stages, Steven Spielberg and DreamWorks Pictures were in talks with Harvey Weinstein and the Weinstein Company about collaborating on this film but could not reach an agreement on various aspects of the production. Both went their separate ways, with Spielberg and DreamWorks producing this film, and Weinstein and the Weinstein Company developing their own separate project about Edgardo Mortara. Both projects ironically are now officially dead as Spielberg moved on to other projects and is no longer affiliated with DreamWorks Pictures. Harvey Weinstein was famously incarcerated for dozens of sexual allegations and the Weinstein Company has since gone out of business.
Oscar Isaac was attached to star in the film for some time while it was in development but the project's progression slowed as it was on an international search to find its actor for the child of Edgardo Mortara. The project then took a backseat when Steven Spielberg unexpectedly signed on to direct The Post (2017) which was getting fast-tracked into production, leading to Isaac dropping out of the film project once Spielberg signed on for The Post. This put the status of the film project on hold while the search continued for the lead role, but around 2018 the search stopped and Spielberg has since lost interest in continuing the film's development and the project is now on the back burner for the foreseeable future.
The project was originally looking to get back on track after Steven Spielberg finished The Post (2017) but after struggling to find a child actor for the leading role for over a year and, during the course of making The Post, Spielberg lost interest in continuing developing the project and instead put his focus on Ready Player One (2018), West Side Story (2021) and, at the time, Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny (2023) from which he stepped down but remained a producer. This project however is officially now put on the back burner for the foreseeable future.
This would have been the fourth collaboration between Steven Spielberg and Mark Rylance with their others previously being Bridge of Spies (2015), The BFG (2016), and Ready Player One (2018).
This is the fifth collaboration between screenwriter Tony Kushner and director Steven Spielberg after Munich (2005), Lincoln (2012), West Side Story (2021), and The Fabelmans (2022).
