The Pecheneg language, an extinct Turkic language once spoken in Eastern Europe in the 7th-12th centuries, was "re-invented" for the movie.
This movie took 6 years to make.
The costume designer traveled to several cities and countries, buying fabric and studying frescoes and museum in China, India, Helsinki, Riga, Novgorod, Stockholm, and Minsk.
The cast is mostly Russian; however the film does features Swedish actor Joakim Nätterqvist, Canada's John DeSantis and Belarusian actress Aleksandra Bortich.
The set and the scenery used in the production were used to create Russia's first movie-based theme park, which opened in may of 2016 near the village of Perevalnoye, Crimea.