Jean-Claude Van Damme was not originally cast as the villain, but both his casting and the characterization of Xander as an eccentric madman were suggested by director Peter Hyams.
Edited by Peter Hyams' son John Hyams. John had previously directed Jean-Claude Van Damme in Universal Solider: Regeneration (2009) (which Peter had served as Director of Photography), Universal Solider: Day of Reckoning (2012) and Dragon Eyes (2012).