Yul Brynner insisted he would only make this film if Steve McQueen was not involved because he felt that McQueen was too much of a scene-stealer. McQueen initially expressed interest in doing the film, but then decided the plot was too absurd and turned it down.
Steve McQueen didn't repeat his role as Vin, choosing to appear in The Sand Pebbles (1966) instead, two months later. It turned out to be a better choice since he was nominated for a Best Actor Oscar, and the movie for Best Picture.
Although this film revisits the village from the first movie, it was shot in Spain, not Mexico. Among the many reasons were the difficulties that occurred between the American filmmakers and the Mexican crew and government censors during the shooting of the first film.