This project was in the works for a long time before the film finally emerged. There were various changes of cast and director, and many writers, including James Mitchell and Stanley Mann, produced drafts of the script before Robert Shaw, who was also a novelist, agreed to do a final rewrite immediately before shooting was due to begin. Although he assured Joseph Losey that he would finish it before the first day of shooting, he did not, in fact, complete it until the end of filming, with changes being seemingly made almost every day. The film was a box-office failure and was mostly shown in Britain in a heavily-cut version, although television showings have been complete.
Filming took four months.
Malcolm McDowell remarked upon Robert Shaw's alleged competitive streak. During filming, McDowell claimed that Shaw used to challenge him to running races.