Following the successful Broadway debut of M. Butterfly, the 20 Apr 1988 LAHExam reported that filmmakers Warren Beatty, David Brown, Milos Forman, and Samuel Goldwyn, Jr. all expressed interest in producing a film version. The 9 Jun 1988 DV also named Roman Polanski among the interested parties. However, production notes in AMPAS library files stated that stage producer David Geffen obtained rights through his company, Geffen Pictures, which had an existing production deal with Warner Bros. Pictures. Adapting his play for his feature screenwriting debut, Hwang completed the first draft of the script in late 1990. Once David Cronenberg joined the project as director, Hwang made edits that shifted focus from the politics of the story to the relationship between the lead characters.
       M. Butterfly reunited Cronenberg with actor Jeremy Irons, who previously starred in the director’s 1988 picture, Dead Ringers (see entry). More than sixty men tested for the character of “Song Liling,” which according to the 31 Jan 1992 HR, included Alec Mapa, who acted opposite Philip Anglim in the Los Angeles, CA, and national touring productions of the play. Although Mapa was set to meet with Cronenberg in early Feb 1992 to discuss the possibility of reprising his role onscreen, former Beijing Opera performer and actor John Lone was cast instead.
       Due to political unrest in mainland China, filmmakers spent six months negotiating permission to film in the country while concurrently preparing backup locations in the Special Administrative Region of Macao. Although the 28 Apr 1992 HR production chart listed a start date of 24 Aug 1992, the 17 Nov 1992 HR confirmed principal photography began 10 Sep 1992. Locations in Beijing, China, included the Qingle Theatre, the Moon Arch Bridge on Houhai Lake, and the Great Wall of China. For exterior scenes, 400 background actors rode bicycles and wore Zhongshan, or “Mao,” suits specially made in China for the film. Filmmakers also purchased a local man’s pedicab and sent it back to Toronto, Canada, where filming continued for an additional ten weeks. Production took place at an outdoor gravel pit, an unnamed studio soundstage, and inside the city’s Don Jail. Former Chinese Red Guards living in Toronto were hired to paint authentic propaganda banners and signs, while more than 500 members of the Chinese community were included in various scenes. The crew then moved to Budapest, Hungary, for filming at the Hungarian State Opera House, the Budapest City Hall Council Room, and a minimum security prison on the Slovakian border. Principal photography concluded in Paris, France.
       According to the 29 Apr 1992 DV, David Geffen planned to leave the entertainment business following the completion of production on M. Butterfly and Interview with the Vampire (1994, see entry). Instead, Geffen closed his production company to co-found DreamWorks SKG with Steven Spielberg in 1994.
       The 12 Jul 1993 HR stated that M. Butterfly contained “the industry’s first completely digital feature film main title sequence,” created by Syzygy Digital Cinema, a division of Balsmeyer & Everett title design company.
       A 14 Sep 1993 HR article noted that the film received a mixed reception following its 9 Sep 1993 world premiere at Toronto’s Festival of Festivals. Theatrical release in Toronto, New York City, and Los Angeles was planned for 1 Oct 1993, with additional openings to follow on 8 and 15 Oct 1993. As reported by the 24 May 1994 LADN, actor John Lone was displeased with the final cut of the film, which allegedly removed twenty minutes of footage, including an extended version of the scene when “René Gallimard” first sees Lone’s character performing onstage. Reviews were generally negative, with several critics suggesting the reveal of Liling’s gender identity was made less effective after a similar storyline was depicted in the popular 1992 British film, The Crying Game.
      Opening credits are followed by the statement: “This film is based on a true story.” End credits note that David Henry Hwang’s original 1988 stage play, M. Butterfly, was “Produced on the stage by Stuart Ostrow and David Geffen and directed by John Dexter.” A dedication misspells the name of Geffen Pictures President David Bombyk, reading, “In memory of David Bombyck.”