According to Peter Bogdonavitch in his collaborative book "This is Orson Welles", Bogdonavitch wanted Welles to direct this film as a comeback for his mentor, and Welles was set to do so, but then, with some pressure from the studio, and his steady girlfriend Cybill Shepard, Bogdonavitch ended up directing it himself. This led to a falling-out between the two friends, Bogdonavitch and Welles, that wasn't completely resolved for nearly a decade, shortly before Welles's death.