jacobo morales wrote the script while working on the play "los muchachos de la alegría", an adaptation of a neil simon script, which featured tommy muñiz. as they were in rehearsals, morales realized that muñiz was the "singular performer" he wanted for his film project. he said in a 2014 interview that since he had the idea "very clear, i wrote it really fast; like a little over a month". morales invited muñiz' son, pedro, to serve as associate producer while morales' wife, blanca silvia eró, served as executive producer. morales also chose gladys rodríguez to play opposite muñiz, for considering her a very "ductile" actress with which he had worked for decades before. morales said of rodríguez, "the experiences with her had been very positive and we had good communication. her role not only suited her for her physicality, but also for her temperament."