The working title of this film was Hudson's Bay Company. A studio billing sheet also lists The Renegade as a working title. As noted in the onscreen credits, the picture is based on incidents from the life of Pierre Esprit Radisson (c.1636--c.1710), a French-Canadian fur trader and explorer. Along with his brother-in-law, Médard Chouart Sieur des Groseilliers (1618--c.1690), Radisson explored the Great Lakes region between 1659 and 1660 and spent a profitable winter acquiring furs. Although they were fined for trading without a license, Radisson and Groseilliers continued their explorations and in 1665 went to England. There, they enlisted the aid of several English gentlemen and returned to Hudson Bay in 1668. Their successful enterprises led to the granting of a royal charter for the Hudson's Bay Co. by King Charles II in 1670. A few years later, Radisson left the company and joined the French Navy. After assisting in the French's seizure of Port Nelson in Hudson Bay, he returned to the company and served as the superintendent for two years in the late 1680s.
       According to information in the MPAA/PCA Collection at the AMPAS Library, David O. Selznick first expressed interest in making a feature film concerning the Hudson Bay Company in Sep 1936. Twentieth Century-Fox also registered a title pertaining to the company with the Hays Office in 1936, and in 1937, Selznick released his interest in the title to Fox. Letters in the collection indicate that in 1937, Paramount was also considering a film about the trading company, which was to have been directed by Cecil B. DeMille. An 11 Nov 1937 LAEx news item reported that DeMille intended to star Fred MacMurray in the picture, which was to be shot on location in Canada. The news item also noted that DeMille's longtime writer, Jeanie MacPherson, had already begun work "on the necessary research."
       An 11 Aug 1937 HR news item noted that writers Michel Jacoby and John Taintor Foote were working on the Hudson's Bay Company screenplay for Twentieth Century-Fox. According to the Twentieth Century-Fox Records of the Legal Department and Produced Scripts Collection, located at the UCLA Arts--Special Collections Library, Jane Murfin, Curtis Kenyon, Eleanore Griffin and William Rankin also worked on early versions of the film's screenplay. Studio records indicate that it is unlikely, however, that these writers contributed to the final picture. On 8 Feb 1939, HR announced that the studio had "shelved" the project "because of its belief that the feature would have a weak box office pull at the present time." The item also noted that Tyrone Power had been set to star in the vehicle. A 1 Jul 1940 conference with executive producer Darryl F. Zanuck, contained in the studio records, indicates that Zanuck was considering starring either Don Ameche or Dean Jagger as "Radisson" and Richard Greene as "Edward." On 9 Jul 1940, HR announced that Henry Fonda had just been set as the film's star. According to the studio records, background scenes were shot on location at McCall, ID, and some scenes were to be filmed at Big Bear, CA, although it has not been determined if that location was utilized.
       The picture was Paul Muni's first freelance assignment after severing his longtime contract with Warner Bros. Although the DV review stated that the film marked the screen debuts of Gene Tierney and Laird Cregar, Tierney made her debut in the 1940 Twentieth Century-Fox film The Return of Frank James, and Cregar had played bit roles in two productions in 1940. Hudson's Bay did feature Cregar's first co-starring role, however. The Var review, in praising Cregar's performance, called him an actor "for whom there is a distinct and important niche waiting."