Jennifer Lawrence recommended Bradley Cooper for the project. They had worked together previously on Silver Linings Playbook (2012) and they got along so well that they often spoke about working together again in the future. When Lawrence read the script for Serena (2014), she sent a copy to Cooper and asked if he would do it with her.
Serena was filmed in 2012, after Jennifer Lawrence and Bradley Cooper's then project, Silver Linings Playbook, wrapped production. Serena would premiere 2 years later at the London Film Festival.