Arnold Schwarzenegger stated in his memoir "Total Recall" that he was so impressed by the film's tense atmosphere, made on a low budget, that he convinced the producers to hire John McTiernan to direct O Predador (1987).
The film's protagonist, Pommier, was originally meant to be played by legendary French actor Gérard Depardieu, but when he declined the role, Brosnan, an Irish actor who was at the time only known for his quite popular TV series 'Remington Steele' (1982 - 1987) about a female private detective who partners up with a former gentleman thief, immediately agreed to play it, believing that in order to avoid being typecast for the rest of his career he'd need to prove that he can play roles other than those of English rogues or gentlemen.
In an interview, star Lesley-Anne Down recalled she was cast in the film by producer Elliott Kastner against the wishes of director John McTiernan, who wanted a blonde American actress in the role, because of this McTiernan was exceptionally hostile towards her. Down also stated she believed the film was very good in some parts, but very stupid in others. She felt the film suffered because the Nomads were too mundane and not particularly scary as antagonists and that the film would have been much better had it done away with the vague mystery aspect and been more of a straight-up supernatural horror film.