Early on during the film's development, Jeff Bridges was attached to star as Ludwig Mies van der Rohe. He later dropped out and was replaced by Ralph Fiennes in January 2019, at which time Maggie Gyllenhaal also joined the cast in the role of Edith Farnsworth. Over a year later, in February 2020, it was announced that Gyllenhaal had left the project to concentrate her efforts on her directorial debut The Lost Daughter (2021). Elizabeth Debicki was added at that time in the Farnsworth role and Sony Pictures Classics was reportedly finalizing U.S. distribution rights.