To get into the mood of writing a surrealistic drama/mystery, Nicholas Zebrun watched the entire Twin Peaks (1990) series in a week long marathon. To further get into the mindset, he'd only write the screenplay after midnight, alone, in a dark room.
Originally conceived as a sequel to Block (2009). In that version, the character of Michael would be chased by the forces of death (personified by the Gentleman from Block (2009)) and an angelic force (which later became the character of Leah).