Theodore V. Olsen’s novel, The Stalking Moon, was optioned by National General Corp.’s Carthay Center Productions shortly before Doubleday published the book, according to a 3 Dec 1965 DV announcement. Initial plans were made to shoot a film adaptation “in color and widescreen” in Jun 1966. As stated in the 16 Apr 1966 LAT, Carthay Center was poised to become “the first exhibitor circuit seriously involved in the making of motion pictures since First National Exhibitors Circuit was absorbed by Warner Bros.” roughly thirty-five years earlier. In the meantime, a Department of Justice decree had forbidden the production of films by exhibitors, a rule that had recently been overturned in 1964, when the Justice Department agreed that exhibitors could manufacture films as long as they offered them to competing theaters in the same districts as their own venues.
       Wendell Mayes was hired to adapt the script, as noted in the 28 Feb 1966 DV. National General Corp.’s Irving H. Levin reported that filming would begin in fall 1966. Soon after, Gregory Peck’s casting was reported in a 20 Jun 1966 DV item. National General Productions was named as the production company, and the deal was said to be National General’s first “with a major star.” The start of production was delayed until early 1967, and a $3.5 million budget was set. Peck’s Brentwood Productions was said to be “involved for an undisclosed percentage” of the picture.
       George Stevens was hired to direct, as part of a three-picture deal with Universal Pictures, according to a 15 Nov 1966 DV brief. However, the 7 Mar 1967 DV announced that Stevens had left the project, and described its future as “up in the air.” Peck claimed he was anxious to work, and might take on another role while The Stalking Moon was in limbo. The 14 Mar 1967 DV indicated that National General Productions planned to make the picture with or without Universal, and that, despite his departure, Stevens had given them “two huge portfolios of research” he had been working on. Wendell Mayes, who had reportedly prepared an adaptation, left the project at the same time as Stevens, as noted in the 27 Mar 1967 DV.
       Producer Alan J. Pakula and director Robert Mulligan were brought on to the project in late Mar 1967. Meanwhile, Peck accepted a role in MacKenna’s Gold (1969, see entry), from which he was scheduled to be released by 15 Oct 1967, when The Stalking Moon was set to begin. The collaboration marked a re-teaming for Pakula, Mulligan, and Peck, after their Academy Award-winning 1962 film, To Kill a Mockingbird (see entry). Pakula and Mulligan enlisted Horton Foote to write the screenplay, according to the 17 Apr 1967 DV, although Foote did not receive onscreen credit in the final film.
       A casting director for Pakula-Mulligan Productions discovered Peck’s young co-star, eleven-year-old Apache Indian Noland Clay, on the White River Reservation in Arizona, an article the 24 Dec 1968 LAT reported. Clay was one of several Apache boys who were flown to Los Angeles, CA, for screen testing. The 12 Jan 1968 LAT estimated that his salary would be at least $1,000 per week. As part of his salary, a trust fund was established for Clay’s education. National General also promised funds to improve a recreation center on the White River Reservation, and the company made a donation in the reservation’s name to the Save the Children Federation, which was later honored at a preview screening in Washington, D.C., which Clay attended before traveling to Philadelphia, PA, for an appearance on a daytime television talk show. Other promotional appearances for Clay included stops in Denver, CO; Oklahoma City, OK; and Houston, TX. While touring those cities, the boy was accompanied by a tutor from the Los Angeles school district as well as Chief Nelson Lupe, described in LAT as “a high-ranking Apache who represents his tribe in dealings with the Department of the Interior in Washington.” Nevertheless, he became homesick, and his parents were flown out to stay with him at his suite at the Beverly Wilshire in Beverly Hills, CA. Clay was also the focus of a seven-minute short film, shot by photographer Dennis Stock, which featured behind-the-scenes footage, and was offered to national television outlets as a promotional item, as noted in the 6 Nov 1968 Var.
       Principal photography got underway on 9 Jan 1968, as stated in a 12 Jan 1968 DV production chart. Locations included Tule Springs in Las Vegas, NV, where “a mud hut and the tiniest railway station imaginable” were built, according to a 5 Feb 1968 LAT article. Filming also took place in the Valley of Fire, fifty miles outside of Las Vegas.
       The 2 Jan 1968 DV named Arthur L. Wilde as the film’s publicist. Professional football player Roman Gabriel considered a role in the picture, as stated in the 23 Jan 1968 DV, and an item in the 15 Jan 1968 DV listed James Olson as a cast member.
       On 5 May 1967, LAT announced the formation of National General Pictures Corporation, a new subsidiary of National General Corp., which was set to release The Stalking Moon in the wake of Universal’s departure. The film was scheduled to premiere on 12 Dec 1968 at the Village Theatre in Westwood, CA. An item in the 11 Dec 1968 DV noted the event would be aired on ABC-TV’s The Joey Bishop Show (ABC, 17 Apr 1967—26 Dec 1969). The Los Angeles opening was set to follow on Christmas Day, 25 Dec 1968.
       In fall 1968, Avon Books released a special tie-in version of Olsen’s book, featuring a photograph of Peck on the cover and displaying production credits on the front and back, according to the 18 Oct 1968 DV.