Hou Hsiao-hsien was originally to direct it, but he was preparing for The Puppet Master. Producer Chang Hua-kun felt that the "tone" of the story wasn't right for anyone else to tell.
，原本屬意侯孝賢執導，但侯正在籌備《戲夢人生》，製片張華坤一直感覺到別人說這個故事的「味道」就是不對。