This was originally planned as a Carl Foreman production, and he may have done a version of the screenplay (there are characters named Weaver and Grogan in the film - a trademark of Foreman's) before hiring Bryan Forbes to write the film as a planned vehicle for Cary Grant. When Forbes presented his version, Foreman said it was not good enough to present to a star of Grant's magnitude, and the project went into abeyance for a while. When Forbes formed Allied Film Makers with Michael Relph, Basil Dearden, Richard Attenborough and Jack Hawkins, they obtained the necessary rights and made the film themselves - it was a great critical and financial success.