This movie was based on the 1945 historical novel, and international bestseller, of the same name by Finland's Mika Waltari, which in turn was based on the ancient Egyptian "Story of Sinuhe". Ten years later, he wrote a novel titled "The Etruscan", and nine years after that, "The Roman".
Marilyn Monroe lobbied hard to play Nefer, but Producer Darryl F. Zanuck had earmarked the role for his then-mistress, Bella Darvi.
After shooting was completed, Twentieth Century-Fox made back some of this movie's immense cost by selling many of the set pieces, props, and costumes to Paramount Pictures, which then employed them in an even bigger epic, Cecil B. DeMille's "The Ten Commandments (1956)."
While Queen Nefertiti (Anitra Stevens) and several of her daughters are depicted, no mention is made of the Pharaoh Akhnaton's (Michael Wilding's) most famous child, his son Tutankhamen. This may be because the plot of this movie required General Horemheb (Victor Mature) to become Pharaoh on Akhnaton's death, as well as in the projected sequel. Having the true and actual heir Tutankhamen, a well known historic figure, also in this movie could have been awkward. In actuality, Horemheb became Pharaoh only after the deaths of the Pharaoh Ay, who succeeded Tutankhamen, and Tutankhamen. Horemheb was Tutankhamen's loyal Chief General during his reign.