Inspired by the true story of writer-director Todd J. Stein' and his father, Marvin Stein.

The film's fictional father-and-son characters, Scott Cohen and Martin Cohen, were created to reflect the real father-son story at the center of the film while allowing the events to be dramatized.

The story first gained national attention when journalist John Leland chronicled the family's journey in the November 21, 2021 cover story for The New York Times, "The Fight of This Old Boxer's Life Was With His Own Family."

Todd Stein's 92-year-old mother, Felicia Stein, visited the set during filming as actors portrayed fictionalized versions of Stein and his family.

Director Todd J. Stein has said the experience behind the film changed his life by bringing him back to New York and forcing him to put family first.

The scene with reporter Paige Carson (Trini Alvarado) was filmed at Gotham Cafe on Manhattan's Upper East Side, the neighborhood in which director Todd J. Stein was raised and currently lives. He spent many hours there writing the screenplay.

The production included people from Stein's real life, including friends, family members, and former guardianship victims as extras.

Todd J. Stein and Trini Alvarado first met while attending Manhattan's Professional Children's School. The Final Fight brought them together professionally, with Alvarado portraying reporter Paige Carson, a role Stein loosely based on journalist John Leland, who chronicled Stein's father's story in the November 2021 article "The Fight of This Old Boxer's Life Was With His Own Family."

Marvin Stein, who inspired the father character, was a former Golden Gloves boxer and health club entrepreneur. His Shelton Health Club reportedly attracted celebrities and mob-connected patrons, including Barbra Streisand, Burt Reynolds, George Hamilton, Liza Minnelli, and Bruce Cutler, who is known for representing John Gotti.

Josh Davis first read for the role of Scott Cohen during a full-length screenplay reading held earlier that year at Rodney's Comedy Club. After reviewing several casting options, writer-director Todd J. Stein and the casting director, Adrienne Stern, agreed that Davis was the right choice for the role, citing the strength of his reading and his clear fit for the part.

The title The Final Fight carries a double meaning: it refers both to Marvin Stein's past as a former boxer and to Todd Stein's battle to rescue his father from guardianship.

Quote from Josh Davis portraying Scott Cohen.

"This is a real family, a real fight, and a real man who almost had his entire life taken from him. There's nothing more interesting and meaningful as an actor than helping to tell a story like this. Scott is a flawed character (most of the interesting ones are), but he shows up anyway. He's a guy trying to do the right thing despite all the challenges he faces. Getting to portray someone like that and bring to light how many people are trapped in guardianship with no one in their corner is not only powerful, it's necessary."

Todd J. Stein wrote the role of Brad, Scott's boyfriend, with Ryan Spahn in mind. Stein had represented Spahn early in his career, and Brad's role in the ending helps reveal the emotional toll of Scott's fight.

Casting director Adrienne Stern, said she wanted the cast to reflect the intimacy and tension behind Stein's fight for his father's autonomy.

The project was originally conceived as a documentary because Todd J. Stein had filmed and recorded extensive material during the real-life events. It later evolved into a fictionalized short film. Mr. Stein still hopes to develop the documentary to further platform the need for guardianship reform.

Developed as a proof-of-concept short to help launch a planned feature-length version of the story.

Nikole Rajgor, who wrote "Short Film by UES Community Advocate Wraps Production in Lenox Hill" for the online publication Upper East Site, spent the final day of filming with the cast and crew at Gotham Cafe, where scenes were filmed for Paige Carson, the reporter who writes the article about Cohen's guardianship in The Final Fight.

Indie Film Mag noted that The Final Fight serves as a proof-of-concept short in the vein of Damien Chazelle's Whiplash and Jim Cummings' Thunder Road, while also functioning as a case study in building an audience through grassroots campaigns.

The screenplay won Best Thriller Screenplay at Top Shorts in January 2026. the San Diego Movie Awards and the New Jersey Shorts Festival.