Trivia / Fu Manchu

• California Doubling: The Face of Fu Manchu was shot entirely in Ireland, and was one of the first foreign film productions to do so.
• Development Hell: William Patrick Maynard was authorized to write three Fu Manchu novels, with the first two releasing in 2009 and 2012. A third, The Triumph of Fu Manchu, has been announced (along with when it's set), but no word has been heard since.
• Fake Nationality: Not a single one of the actors who portrayed Fu Manchu is Chinese (or even East Asian).
• Fountain of Expies: With the Yellow Peril trope falling out of favor for obvious reasons, Fu Manchu is the only classic example remembered by the general public. As such, several other characters have recycled major aspects of his:
  • Ming the Merciless from Flash Gordon has a similar personal style applied to the Galactic Conqueror trope.
  • Ian Fleming had him in mind when creating the title character of Dr. No, but now with his sinister aspects put more in Cold War terms.
  • Philip Hinchcliffe and Robert Holmes cited the Fu Manchu stories as an influence on the Doctor Who serial "The Talons of Weng-Chiang", and secondary antagonist Li H'sen Chang is visibly modeled after the guy.
  • Iron Man's nemesis the Mandarin was also written as a Cold War update, in his case with a lot of fantastic Jet Age gadgetry.
  • While Middle Eastern rather than Far Eastern and less racialized to begin with, Batman foe Ra's al Ghul has unmistakable Fu Manchu tendencies, including seeming immortality, greater-good justifications for his evil acts, and a Femme Fatale daughter.
• The Other Darrin: The long-running nature of the various Fu Manchu film series mean that certain cast members get replaced midway through. The Christopher Lee series has three different Nayland-Smith (Nigel Green in Face, Douglas Wilmer in Brides & Vengeance, and Richard Greene in Blood & Castle).
• Underage Casting: Fu-Manchu was established in his first literary appearance as being over seventy. No actor that has ever portrayed him has been anywhere near seventy, let alone past it.
• What Could Have Been:
  • Years after Rohmer's death, his friend Cay Van Ash (who had previously completed a biography of Rohmer at the request of his widow) was authorized by the Rohmer estate to produce sequels. Ten Years Beyond Baker Street and The Fires of Fu Manchu were released in 1984 and 1987, respectively; however, Van Ash died in 1994 while he and his wife, who were living in Paris, France and researching the setting in preparation for a third book. The incomplete manuscript for The Seal of Fu Manchu is now believed to be lost.
  • There's a number of unrealized Fu Manchu film projects, including a sixth Christopher Lee that was cancelled after Castle bombed, or one starring Antonio Banderas as Nayland-Smith.

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