One of the few Western movies where an actor's ethnicity matches their character's. 'Martin Sensmeier' is Native Alaskan (Tlingit). Manuel Garcia-Rulfo was born in Guadalajara, Mexico.
James Horner collaborated on this film after he and Antoine Fuqua became close friends while making Southpaw (2015). According to Fuqua, Horner's team visited him on the film's set in Baton Rouge, one month after Horner's accidental death, to deliver the completed score. Horner had been so inspired after reading the script that he composed the entire score during pre-production.
Later in the movie, Chris Pratt uses a shortened lever action rifle. This unique firearm, the mare's leg, was made popular by Steve McQueen in his series Wanted: Dead or Alive (1958). Pratt's character is McQueen's character from the original movie.
Wagner Moura was originally cast as Vasquez.The role was recast because he was committed to film the Netflix show Narcos, where he plays Pablo Escobar.
When Red Harvest first appears he speaks in Comanche, the language of his character. However when he states "my name is Red Harvest", he says this line in Tlingit, the language of Sensmeier's real Native people.
On March 29, 2015, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer set the film release for January 13, 2017. In August 2015, Sony Pictures Entertainment moved the film release to September 23, 2016.
This film marks the re-union of two sets of co-stars. Denzel Washington + Ethan Hawke (Training Day) and Chris Pratt + Vincent D'onofrio (Jurassic World).
Chris Pratt's earlier film Guardians of the Galaxy (2014) was about misfits (A thief, A assassin, 2 bounty hunters and a vengeful warrior) whom come together to stop an evil fanatic from wiping out the inhabitants of a planet. In a way, The Magnificent Seven (2016) is almost a similar film about characters whom are bounty hunters, gunfighters and outlaws whom join forces to help a village deal with murderous thieves.
Ethan Hawke's 1st western he starred in 2016. The other film is In a Valley of Violence (2016). Karen Gillan whom stars in that film had starred opposite Chris Pratt in Guardians of the Galaxy (2014).