Part of this movie was filmed in Ghent, the historically correct birthplace of Charles V.
Rutger Hauer's final film appearance.
Adrien Brody and Thomas Kretschmann appeared in The Pianist (2002) and King Kong (2005).
During filming in Ghent, a cameraman was knocked over by a horse. The cameraman was taken to the hospital by ambulance.
The actual birthplace of Charles V is disputed. While most historians and historical sources name Ghent as his birthplace, some believe he was born in the neighboring smaller town of Eeklo (based on one source in the city archives of Eeklo: an expense report of a feast organised on the date of his birth, which could've been coincidentally). Eeklo is also where the biggest manufacturer of the so-called "Gentse Neuzekes" (or "cuberdons) is situated.