Warner Brothers had handled the original U.S. distribution of "Hercules" (1958) and "Hercules Unchained" (1959). When they released this in the United States two years later, in 1961, they promoted this as if it were another Hercules type movie. Their original U.S. one-sheet showed a shirtless Steve Reeves with a sword in one hand and swinging a huge chain in the other while about to stomp an opponent with spike-soled boots. Of course, there was no such scene in the movie.
For the 2001 video release by Platinum Disc Corporation, the box correctly lists Steve Reeves as the star. However, the photo on the box is of Gordon Scott. The photograph was from another movie, Sergio Corbucci's Romulus et Remus (1961), in which both Reeves and Scott appear.
The film was based on a book by Lev Tolstoy, who in turn based the book on his experiences in the Russian army in Chechnya when his unit was sent to help subdue Chechen guerrillas.
This was Steve Reeves' third major starring role to be released. After completing "Hercules" (1958) and "Hercules Unchained" (1959) Steve Reeves passed on during a third film as Hercules. He desired to do films that relied more on plot rather than a series of set-pieces of him doing super-human feats of strength. This production was based on an established novel by Leo Tolstoy.
According to the Steve Reeves biography A Moment in Time (published in 2014) the actor was able to negotiate a much larger salary in this his third Italian epic. After the success of the two Hercules films, for which he agreed to be paid $10,000 per film, he was now able to command $25,000 for The White Warrior.