The scenario was based on the short story, "The Leopardess" by Katharine Newlin Burt. Although the 23 October 1922 Paramount Pep referred to the story as “an unpublished novel,” it was syndicated the following year as a short story in three installments, evidenced by the 3 March 1923 Chicago Tribune, the 4 March 1923 [Buffalo, NY] Courier, and the [Sioux Falls, SD] Argus-Leader. Production was expected to take place at Paramount Studios in Queens, NY.
       Articles in the 6 November 1922, 13 November 1922, 20 November 1922, 27 November 1922 issues of Paramount Pep reported that filming of “South Sea Island” sequences was underway in Florida at Paramount Studios in Miami and in Cape Florida on Key Biscayne. Additional crew members included location manager Arthur Cozine and assistant director Al Hall . While at Cape Florida, the company was plagued by mosquitoes, requiring the use of smoke from smudge pots and wind from a “wingless aeroplane” to repel the insects for the duration of the shoot. The 6 November 1922 Film Daily noted that scenarist J. Clarkson Miller visited the winter headquarters of a circus in Bridgeport, CT, for research purposes. An item in the 23 December 1922 Motion Picture News stated that a “palatial” yacht was loaned to the production by meatpacking magnate J. Ogden Armour. The close of principal photography was announced in the December 1922 American Cinematographer. Editing and titling were completed at the Queens studio, as noted in the 12 January 1923 Film Daily.
       Afterward, the 14 January 1923 [Montgomery, AL] Advertiser quoted co-star Montagu Love, who described his struggle to play dead during a close-up shot with the titular leopardess. Love remained completely still without breathing to avoid being mauled by the animal, but still sustained a two-inch scratch to his forehead.
       The Leopardess was advertised in the 23 December 1922 as one of Paramount’s “Super Thirty-nine” features for the coming year, and was scheduled for release on 25 March 1923, as stated in the 17 March 1923 Motion Picture News. Openings preceded during the week of 11 March 1923 at the Arcadia Theatre in Philadelphia, PA, and on 15 March 1923 at the VIC Theatre in Steubenville, OH. Other openings followed during the week of 25 March 1923 at the Rialto Theatre in New York City and during the week of 2 September 1923 at the Hillstreet Theatre in Los Angeles, CA. The 5 April 1923 Variety reported substandard receipts of $16,000 for the film’s opening week in New York City.
       On 2 June 1923, Motion Picture News announced the death of cast member Charles Kent following a long illness.
       The National Film Preservation Board (NFPB) included this film on its list of Lost U.S. Silent Feature Films as of October 2019.