The characters played by David Carradine and Richard Roundtree were not included in the original screenplay, having only been added late in production to bolster the film's star power. Carradine and Roundtree filmed their scenes during a 10-day period in Los Angeles for which director Albert Pyun was not involved.
The Guam government sued producer John F.S. Laing after the film was finished, claiming he wrongfully convinced government officials to contribute $800,000 to help guarantee a production loan which was defaulted on. Laing denied this and counter-sued, claiming the government broke a promise of financial support and cost his company $1.5 million, which also forced him to cancel other planned projects as well. Laing also went on to blame director Albert Pyun for the film's financial woes.
Guam businesses and various crew members also reported not being paid for their work on the film.
After plans to shoot in Hawaii and Florida were dropped, Bali was considered the next possible location for filming, but this idea was also abandoned after the terrorist bombing there in 2002.
Albert Pyun had originally wanted a Canadian crew from Vancouver, British Columbia to work on the film, but the crew were denied visas. Pyun settled with hiring a Los Angeles based crew instead, which he later regretted.