The film was started in 1962 by Christian-Jaque with Alain Delon, Dorothy Dandridge, Michel Simon and Bernard Blier. The filming was interrupted due to inadequate funding and was started again in 1963.
Although producer Raoul Levy spent a lot of money on assembling an all-star cast for this film (it was one of the most expensive French films ever), he did not take so much care in getting a workable screenplay. On arriving to film his scenes, Omar Sharif complained that he had virtually no part to play. Orson Welles, having already rewritten his own lines, obligingly wrote several scenes into the storyline for him.
When filming was resumed in late 1963, having been originally abandoned the previous year for lack of funding (or a coherent script), an entirely new cast was assembled with a new director. There still wasn't a script.
This was originally announced under the title, "L'Exchiquier De Dieu" - that is, "God's Chessboard".
In the central part of the film, among other noteworthy outdoor filming locations, Bamiyan's Buddhas appear in the homonyms valley for a few seconds.
Exciting.