 The screenplay for the movie was written by Bertolucci himself, Umberto Contarello and Niccolò Ammaniti.Bertolucci originally intended to shoot the film in 3D but was forced to abandon this plan due to cost.Bertolucci appeared on the Radio Four programme Start the Week on 22 April 2013, and on Front Row on 29 April 2013, where he chose "La Dolce Vita", a film directed by Federico Fellini, for the "Cultural Exchange".