El Chicano

Director Ben Hernandez Bray and writer/producer Joe Carnahan had trouble securing financing for the film in Hollywood due to the script featuring an all-Latino cast.

In a May 2019 interview with the New York Times, Joe Carnahan recalled how one Hollywood executive told him the film needed a "Caucasian influence".

The filmmakers were eventually able to find investors in Canada, and a large portion of the film was produced in Calgary with a budget of $7 million.