The film's producer Simon Chinn first encountered Philippe Petit in April 2005 on BBC Radio 4's Desert Island Discs, after which he decided to try to acquire the film rights to his book, To Reach the Clouds.
Filmens producent, Simon Chinn, mødte først Philippe Petit i 2005 på BBC Radio 4's Desert Island Discs, her besluttede han at søge ham om rettighederne til filmen baseret på hans bog, To Reach the Clouds.