Originally envisioned as a vehicle for Charles Bronson by its writers, but offered to Chuck Norris by Cannon -- who had a relationship with the star.
Cannon Pictures (formely The Cannon Group) were so starved for money during the production of "The Hitman", that the developing house who were processing the film refused to grant them access to their own footage unless they drew up a payment schedule.
The story Chuck Norris' character tells about being harassed by a bully actually did happen to Norris while he was growing up.
The twin daughters of Lacombe, who can be briefly seen after one hour into the movie, are played by Amanda & Meagan Norris, the actual twin daughters of director Aaron Norris.
An early draft of the screenplay featured Garrett and Grogan as two separate characters, both of whom are set up for murder on the same night...Garrett by Delaney's corruption ring (because he refused to join and clearly intended to expose his crooked partner), and Grogan by his own boss (because he was disturbingly popular in the ranks and was hitting on the boss's daughter). Both Garrett and Grogan survive their respective setups, although each suffers a complete loss of memory as a result. The two men read each other's obituaries and assume each other's identities; Grogan challenges Delaney for control of the dirty cops, while Garrett seeks refuge from the Cosa Nostra with their Russian rivals. Gradually, both men regain their memories as both careen toward a bloody showdown with each other.
This draft was revised when Cannon considered it too similar to Charles Beaumont's novella "In His Image".
This draft was revised when Cannon considered it too similar to Charles Beaumont's novella "In His Image".