To build a solid cast for the movie,
John Herzfeld started with
Sylvester Stallone; the two had been friends since they were roommates together as students at
University of Miami. – but after Aiello declined that role, Herzfeld and Aiello collaborated on creating the character of Father Paul. joined as co-producer and cast member. Stallone's youngest daughter, Scarlet, had her acting debut in
Reach Me, although she described the experience as "pretty humiliating" because she "just had to say one tiny line, and they had to cut that in half." During principal photography in 2013, funding for the film dried up when one of the investors,
Norman Zada, backed out and sued for return of . Herzfeld, Stallone and producers Rebekah Chaney and
Cassian Elwes started a
Kickstarter campaign to raise their goal of by September 19. Despite reaching the goal on Kickstarter, the production team decided to withdraw its Kickstarter campaign and start again with the competing crowdfunding platform
Indiegogo, citing its broader and more flexible capabilities. The Indiegogo campaign set a goal for starting on September 17 and ended on September 22 with a total of . Total production costs for the film are estimated at . ==Marketing==