Producer Scott Steindorff spent over 3 years courting Gabriel García Márquez for the rights to the book telling him that he was Florentino and wouldn't give up until he got the rights.
For the days of shooting in Cartagena, Giovanna Mezzogiorno was given an entire beautiful old house to live in. One night, she heard some strange noises behind a closet and thought it was a ghost. When help arrived and investigated, they encountered with an owl's nest. Two owls were found and later named after the main characters of the movie, Florentino and Fermina.
Was initially set to be filmed in Brazil because of security concerns in Colombia.
The melody in the song "Hay Amores" (Bolero) sung by Shakira in this film is based on an anonymous traditional popular song called "La Panaderita" (The little baker woman) from the small town of Torrecilla en Cameros, La Rioja, Spain. Whether intentionally or by pure coincidence is not clear. The lyrics in Shakira's song are totally different, of course.