> After Walter Mirisch struck up a distribution deal with United Artists, actor Anthony Quinn filed a breach of contract suit against Brynner. Quinn claimed he had acquired rights to The Seven Samurai with Brynner and had collobrated with him on several ideas for the remake. However, there was no signed contract and Quinn lost the claim.

> The Mexican government censors had concerns about the depiction of their country as inhospitable, and demanded script changes before granting the film crew permission to shoot there.

> Initially, Steve McQueen was denied permission to participate in the film by Four Star, the production company of his TV series Wanted Dead or Alive. McQueen was able to get around the contract by crashing a rental car and claiming whiplash, thereby releasing him from his TV commitments.

> Brynner had studied the quick draw with world champion Rodd Redwing but was no match for McQueen, who would practice firing for hours a day. McQueen eventually learned to shoot two rounds into a one-square-foot target in just eleven hundredths of a second.

> McQueen taught Brynner how to flick the gun backwards into the holster.