The film was written and directed by Ti West, in collaboration with Jason Blum of Blumhouse Productions and Universal Pictures. West also served as a producer for the project, alongside Blum, Jacob Jaffke and Peter Phok. In July 2014, Blum discussed his involvement with the film, "After Ethan [Hawke] and I did Sinister and The Purge, he really, really wanted to do a Western ... It took about a year to find In a Valley of Violence ... which is Ti West's movie." He added that what drew him to the project was his love of West's approach to filmmaking. In March 2016, West revealed in an interview he had written the role with Hawke in mind.
