The film was directed by Forest Whitaker, written by Jessica Bendinger and Kate Kondell from a story by Bendinger and Jerry O'Connell, and produced by John Davis. Whitaker likened "First Daughter" to a fairy tale, characterizing it as "the story of a princess who leaves the 'castle' White House to go out in the world to discover who and what she is." The film languished in "development hell" for several years, and was further delayed after its completion. It was not a commercial success upon its release, and received negative reviews.