Before it was released in 2015, Eye in the Sky was set to be directed by Oliver Hirschbiegel, the man behind the cult classic film Downfall. However, the deal with Hirschbiegel quickly fell through and one of the film's producers decided to proceed with Gavin Hood, who brought writer Guy Hibbert's script to their attention, directing.
Hood was attracted to Hibbert's script because of its subject matter. "Drones are new but still a weapon of warfare," Hood said, "It doesn't matter if it's a drone or a sniper rifle, the question is : 'Did we kill the right guy?'" Drone warfare was brought into the public consciousness at the start of the Barack Obama administration. Obama, who was dubbed the "Drone King'' by a number of news outlets, used drones in conflict more than any other U.S. President in history. This conduct was criticized by people across the world. Although Obama's drone use prevented the deaths of Americans and in many cases, innocent civilians, many felt that the use of drones had a number of concerns about their use.
Eye in the Sky was written and made as a result of the growing concerns over the use of drones in conflict. In the film, Hood takes the position that the use of drones is highly troubling and morally ambiguous to say the least.
