Continuing his outspoken advocacy for the use of film stock over digital formats, cinematographer Wally Pfister not only chose to shoot the film in the anamorphic format on 35mm film instead of on a digital camera, but also finished the film photochemically, refusing to use a digital intermediate.
Sir Christopher Nolan had eyed the project for some time while finishing up The Dark Knight Rises (2012) before taking on Interstellar (2014), believing Transcendence was "perfect" for Wally Pfister's debut as a director.
The film takes place in 2021.
The screenplay for this film was featured in the 2012 Blacklist; a list of the "most liked" unmade scripts of the year.
Morgan Freeman, Rebecca Hall, Cillian Murphy, Josh Stewart, Lukas Haas, and casting director John Papsidera all previously worked with Wally Pfister, on the films he shot for Sir Christopher Nolan.