[5] [1][6] Hazanavicius came on board the project during the first COVID-19 lockdown in 2020 after producer Vincent Maraval acquired the remake rights and approached him.

Originally scheduled on 15 June 2022, the nationwide release in France was moved up to 17 May 2022, the same day as the festival premiere.

[5] In April 2022, the Ukrainian Institute urged the festival and Hazanavicius to rename the film's French title, Z (comme Z), as the letter Z had become a militaristic symbol in support of the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

The website's critics consensus reads, "Although it'll be more satisfying to viewers who haven't already seen the original, Final Cut offers playfully entertaining meta commentary on the art of the remake.

[14] Peter Bradshaw of The Guardian called the film "an entertaining piece of work - and a genuine oddity, ostensibly about cinema, but more about the live theatre experience.