This is the last film Dutch actor Bram van der Vlugt played in. He died he from the effects of COVID-19 in december 2020. Due to the corona pandemic, the release of the film was postponed. First this would happen in October 2020, five hundred years after the death of the real 'Grutte Pier'.
The casting of Milan van Weelden as the Frisian folk hero Grutte Pier (real name Pier Gerlofs Donia) was controversial, since van Weelden himself is not from the Dutch province of Friesland. The filmmakers defended their choice by stating that van Weelden was chosen because he was an experienced actor with the desired height and build (as the real Grutte Pier was reportedly over 6 feet tall). Van Weelden added that he studied hard to correctly say his Frisian dialogue.