Many of the extras in the film received an additional wage in order to cut their fashionably long hair so the look of the film would not be tied to the era in which it was made.
The game of Rollerball was so realistic that the cast, extras, and stunt performers played it between takes on the set.
Norman Jewison said he cast James Caan as Jonathan E. in the film after seeing him play Brian Piccolo, the real-life Chicago Bears running back, in the TV film Brian's Song (1971).
Dieter Meyer recalled concern over finding sufficient extras for the film in order to make "Tokyo" look credible. The film crew dropped off flyers at local hotels, which resulted in 150 eager Asians showing up for the required days of filming.
The Rollerball game sequences were filmed in the Olympic Basketball Arena in Munich, West Germany. Munich citizens were invited to the filming to serve as spectators to the games. Director Norman Jewison intended this film to be anti-violence, but audiences so loved the action of the game that there was actually talk about forming Rollerball leagues in the wake of this film, which horrified him.