Nick Payne developed the script for We Live in Time with StudioCanal. The film is executive produced by Benedict Cumberbatch for his London-based company SunnyMarch; also producing are Leah Clarke, Adam Ackland for SunnyMarch, and Guy Heeley for Shoebox films, as well as Ron Halpern and Joe Naftalin for StudioCanal. In March 2023, Andrew Garfield and Florence Pugh were in talks to star in the film, which was announced shortly after Garfield and Pugh presented an award together at the 95th Academy Awards. Principal photography began in London in April 2023, with cast and crew reported in Herne Hill. Later that month, they were spotted at a Co-op in Blackfen.