This film was released under one of five titles, depending on the country it was released in. It was released under the names 'Lionheart', 'Full Contact', 'A.W.O.L Absent Without Leave', 'Wrong Bet,' and 'Leon '. The film was independently funded and so was sold to various distributors throughout the world. It is therefore assumed they just picked the title that had the most impact in their respective territories.
A follow-up to Lionheart has been considered on several occasions. In 2014, director Albert Pyun said that he had been approached to direct a remake of the film. By 2016, the film was listed in the production slate of Moonstone Entertainment, owner of the Imperial library since 2013, but it did not happen. In February 2018, Van Damme announced on social media that an actual sequel-simply called Lionheart 2-would enter production later that year, but it was quickly called off.
Amongst his fan base, this is still considered one of Jean-Claude Van Damme's best films despite its limited budget.
Olivier Gruner earned his credit by supplying background research regarding the French Foreign Legion to the filmmakers.