Creator Breakdown: Alice Sebold originally came up with the idea for The Lovely Bones in around 1996, but struggled to finish the manuscript, also abandoning several other writing projects she was working on. She attributed this to her not having fully come to terms with her own traumatic assault and rape back in 1981, prompting her to write a memoir, Lucky, which centered around the assault and its impact on her. Following Lucky's 1999 publication, Sebold returned to writing The Lovely Bones and was able to complete it, with the novel being published in 2002, six years after she first began writing it.
Working Title: The original title of the story that became The Lovely Bones was Monsters.
Write What You Know: Fourteen year old Susie is raped before she's murdered, while walking home from school after dark. Author Alice Sebold was also violently raped as a teenager, while walking home at night from college. A police officer told Sebold that another woman who had been raped in the same area was also murdered, saying that Sebold was "lucky" she wasn't killed.
Creator Backlash: Stanley Tucci said while he felt it was a wonderful film, it was a tough experience because of his role. As a father himself, he hated the role of George Harvey and would never revisit it.
Creator Cameo: Peter Jackson can be seen holding a movie camera when Jack goes to get the film rolls developed. His son Billy also has a cameo as a man shopping at the mall.
Dark Horse Casting: For the younger characters, unknown actors were cast - as Saoirse Ronan and Rose McIver are the most prominent in the film but were not names when the film was made. By the time it was released, Saoirse had been nominated for an Oscar for Atonement and Rose was starring in Power Rangers RPM. Carolyn Dando likewise was chosen after a search for hundreds of actresses to play Ruth.
A justified example with Rose McIver who is six years older than Saoirse Ronan, despite playing her younger sister. This is because Susie remains fourteen throughout the film, whereas Lindsey ages over a few years, and the majority of her scenes take place when she's in her late teens. So casting an older actress is necessary.
Reece Ritchie was twenty-three playing Ray and Carolyn Dando was twenty-one as Ruth. AJ Michalka was conversely only seventeen as Clarissa.
Nikki SooHoo, who plays Holly/Denise Le Ang, was twenty-one during filming. Her character was thirteen.
Stanley Tucci had his skin lightened as well as chest and arm hair dyed to match the wig he would wear.
When Ryan Gosling was still attached, he gained twenty pounds of weight and grew a beard to play Jack. As seen below, this was not something required but his own idea.
Reece Ritchie grew out his hair to fit the film's 1970s setting.
Executive Meddling: Positive example. Film 4 dismissed Lynne Ramsay's treatment, wanting a more faithful adaptation of the novel.
Fake American: In the film: Rachel Weisz, Saoirse Ronan, and Rose Mclver who are British, Irish, and a New Zealander. Carolyn Dando (Ruth) is from New Zealand too.
Orphaned Reference: You can see a bit of chemistry between Abigail and Len in the scene at the police station where she sees a Susie lookalike - a remnant of the subplot involving their affair that was filmed and cut. Likewise when Jack hugs Len later in the film, you can see the latter looking a bit guilty.
The Other Marty: Ryan Gosling was cast as Jack Salmon; originally it was reported that he backed out right before filming started - feeling he was too young for the part. However, Gosling later confirmed he was fired for arriving on set 60 pounds overweight with a heavy beard with such a drastic change in physical appearance not being discussed with Peter Jackson. Ironically, Mark Wahlberg had been one of the first choices.
Stanley Tucci goes radically against type here. Mostly known for comedies where he plays uptight or slightly quirky characters - here he's a rapist and child murderer.
Mark Wahlberg in the 2000s was often cast as Jerkasses. Here, he plays Susie's grieving father. The one time he gets into a fight, it's very one sided (and not on his side).
Reality Subtext: Alice Sebold, the author of the novel, is a survivor of rape.
Serendipity Writes the Plot: Susie's rape and murder is recounted in the novel, in graphic detail. The film leaves it out, only implying that Mr Harvey may have gone that far too. The reason for this was a) Peter Jackson didn't want to traumatise the young Saoirse Ronan (and her parents allegedly wouldn't let her do the film if that scene was in there), and b) Stanley Tucci was reluctant to perform such a scene (stating that the scenes with Susie were hard enough for him to do even if they were toned down).
Star-Making Role: A rare instance of a film managing to do this while being a critical and commercial failure; Saoirse Ronan received some very positive reviews for her performance, and the film brought her to Hollywood's attention, helping her career really take off in the years ahead. Of course the fact that she had an Oscar nomination for Atonement helped as well.
As the film rights were up before the novel was even released, at one point Luc Besson was attached to direct.
Originally, Lynne Ramsay was going to direct the film, and had written a script in which all the scenes in heaven with Susie were depicted as being in her father's imagination, while he and Mr. Harvey became close friends. She claimed she wasn't a fan of Susie being confirmed to be in Heaven, finding it too cloying.
Abigail Salmon's original plot from the books - where she has an affair with the detective - was filmed but ultimately cut from the story. This explains the chemistry between them in the scene at the police station.
Early in production, Hugh Jackman was offered the role of Jack Salmon - reuniting him with Rachel Weisz since The Fountain. He had to turn it down due to a scheduling conflict.
