ryan coogler was a graduate student at the university of southern california school of cinematic arts when grant was shot on january 1, 2009. following this event, coogler expressed his desire to make a film about grant's last day, "i wanted the audience to get to know this guy, to get attached, so that when the situation that happens to him happens, it's not just like you read it in the paper, you know what i mean? when you know somebody as a human being, you know that life means something." coogler met john burris, the attorney for the grant family, through a mutual friend, and also met with and worked with grant's family.