Leone adapted the story from the novel The Hoods, written by Harry Grey, while filming Once Upon a Time in the West. The film went through various casting developments and production issues before filming began in 1982. On August 3rd, 2012, it was reported that the restored version of the film that premiered at the 2012 Cannes film festival has been pulled from circulation pending further restoration work. It is unknown whether the new restoration will include the remaining 24 minutes of deleted scenes. The new restoration is expected to debut sometime between winter 2012 to spring 2013.