One of the few times Charles Bronson played a villain since he became a top international star in the early 70's. He generally did not like playing villains and turned down many roles in his later years where he would play one.
A large scale remake had also been mooted the previous year. John Boorman and Ron Howard were potentially set to direct this 70mm production and Tom Hanks was lined up to star but it was deemed too expensive.
Producer Andrew J. Fenady had also wanted to do a remake of "Wuthering Heights" with Charles Bronson in the 70s. Bronson would have been Heathcliff and it would have been set in the Old West.
Producer Andrew Fenady wanted to actually film on a period-appropriate ship; after scouring the West Coast, he found the schooner Zodiac, formerly the vessel California for the San Francisco Bar Pilots Association, which was built in 1924 from 19th stylings.
Today the schooner is home-ported in Bellingham, Washington, USA and available for charter trips.