 In January 1935, Warner Bros. signed the young actor and brought him to Hollywood after seeing him in a British B picture "Murder at Monte Carlo".For the female lead role, Jean Muir was originally picked to play opposite Donat, but after the actor turned down the offer, the studio focused on 19-year-old Olivia de Havilland, who had starred in three previous films that same year, including "A Midsummer Night's Dream" for director Max Reinhardt.Most of the film was shot on a sound stage in the summer of 1935.