Patrick Stewart previously played Henry's son, Richard the Lionheart, in Robin Hood: Men in Tights (1993).
Glenn Close was aged 55 when she played Queen Eleanor - six years younger than Eleanor had been in 1183 when ''Lion in Winter" takes place.Patrick Stewart was aged 63 when he played King Henry who had in fact been eleven years younger than Eleanor. The Lion in Winter (1968) had more accurately presented the royal couple in terms of age, Katharine Hepburn being then Eleanor's age of 61 and Peter O'Toole being substantially younger: in fact at age 36 O'Toole was 14 years younger than the character he played.
This version of ''Lion in Winter" features an original opening sequence set in 1173, which focuses on how Queen Eleanor came to be imprisoned by King Henry.
The death of Katharine Hepburn - Queen Eleanor in The Lion in Winter (1968) - occurred while this remake was being filmed, Hepburn passing away 29 June 2003.
Martin Poll, producer of The Lion in Winter (1968), also helmed this production, his first assignment in ten years and the last before his death in 2012.