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The Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans draws elements from Abel Ferrara's 1992 film Bad Lieutenant, which featured a crooked cop (Harvey Keitel) who is a drug addict and takes sexual favors as bribes.

The main character is Terrence McDonagh, a New Orleans Police sergeant, who starts out as a good cop, receiving a medal and a promotion to lieutenant for heroism during Hurricane Katrina. During his heroic act, McDonagh injures his back and later becomes addicted to prescription pain medication. McDonagh struggles with addictions and finds himself involved with drug dealer Big Fate, who is suspected of murdering a family of African immigrants

The film was first announced in May 2008 with Werner Herzog to direct and Nicolas Cage to star. The script was penned by TV writer William Finkelstein. One major change from the original film was moving the setting from New York City to New Orleans.Herzog insists that the film is not a remake, saying, "It only has a corrupt policeman as the central character and that's about it." At the Academy Awards in 2009, Herzog stated that he has never seen Ferrara's film, saying "I haven't seen it, so I can't compare it. It has nothing to do with it."Herzog did not like the idea of a remake and desired to change the title of the film, but was unsuccessful.