The series was announced by Warner Bros. in April 1938; production of the first film, "Nancy Drew Gets the Passport", was set to begin production in June, directed by John Farrow with a screenplay from Robertson White. However, for unclear reasons, Farrow and White were replaced by Clemens and Gamet, and production was delayed to August. The first two films did well enough to allow Warner Bros. to expand the budgets for the third and fourth films; in early 1939, they also announced the green-lighting of an additional four films, bringing the total up to eight.