The movie is both a tribute to, and satire of, pulp novels and their heroes. As a tribute to these stories, the movie is set in an alternate reality where, unknowingly to the general public, all of the famous pulp fiction heroes like Remo Williams, a.k.a. The Destroyer, Mack Bolan, a.k.a. The Executioner, and Doc Savage are real, and the novels about them are factual testimonies about their real-life adventures. In the movie, Jake Speed is just one of these real-life pulp heroes, and even talks about his famous colleagues once or twice. However, in real-life, unlike Remo Williams, Mack Bolan, and Doc Savage, Jake Speed is not a pulp fiction character, and was entirely made up for this movie, as a satire on pulp archetypes and clichés.
Before Wayne Crawford cast himself in the lead role, several other actors read for the part of Jake, including Bruce Willis.
A novelization of the film was authored under the pseudonym Reno Melon and first published by Gold Eagle/Harlequin in the film's release year on 1st June 1986 as a movie-tie with the picture's theatrical season.
This picture was intended as being the first film in a five-picture deal of low budget movies made between New World Pictures and Crawford/Lane Productions according to an article published in the 6th March 1986 edition of show business trade paper 'The Hollywood Reporter'.
Writer-actor-producer Wayne Crawford and writer-producer-director Andrew Lane wanted with this movie to make a picture with which they could retain overall creative control.