Bridge of Spies (2015) covered various elements and the same subject matter which were the subject of this movie.
Back in 1962, Roger Corman hired Robert Towne to write a quickie screenplay based on the Francis Gary Powers incident. However, "I Flew a Spy Plane Over Russia" unfortunately never got to be filmed.
Martin Sheen was Powers' choice to play his younger self rather than Lee Majors.
Martin Sheen said in a 2018 interview that passing on the offer to portray Powers in this film is one of his greatest career regrets. He said he declined the role because he felt the script didn't sufficiently honor the U2 pilot's legacy.