Dean Stockwell was promised a box of Cuban cigars as compensation for appearing in the film. Stockwell arrived on set in Jordan, and he found out that the producers didn't get him his cigars, he immediately decided to board the next plane home. He only relented after the producers begged him to stay.
The production ran out of money with only two-thirds of the script filmed. Funds were so scarce that the cast and crew had to sneak out of the hotel they were staying in, having nothing left to pay with.
A number of chickens were killed while filming a battle scene. As instructed, the PA dropped three chickens into the sky, where they plummeted twenty feet from the cliff. Two of them died; the other one was so severely injured that one of them suggested to give the chicken a mercy killing. Eight takes later, three more chickens were killed, before the second unit director said: "Don't throw the chickens anymore, it doesn't look good."
When production began, the filmmakers realized they only had real swords at their disposal, no props. When executive producer Diane Mehrez found out that fight scenes were still being prepared with these weapons in mind, she had all sword fights canceled to avoid injuries to the actors. This was ironic, as the filming location - Jordan - had been chosen because there would be enough room to accommodate large-scale battle scenes.