Although he had declined the original Hawaii (1966), Charlton Heston was willing to make this sequel. According to David Shipman's Great Movie Stars- the International Years, Heston was paid $750, 000 plus 10% of the profits.
The Hawaiians (1970) was a sequel to the very popular Hawaii (1966), using unused sections of James A. Michener's extremely long best-seller for its plot. Charlton Heston had been asked to star in Hawaii (1966), but had turned it down (he claimed that the producers were uncertain as to whether he should play the missionary or the sea-captain); he may have regretted this, as the film he did appear in during the same year, Khartoum (1966), was a flop. However, this sequel was panned by critics and had nothing like the earlier film's success.
Original cinematographer Lucien Ballard fell ill during production and was replaced by Philip H. Lathrop.
There are three types of plague caused by the bacterium Yersinia pestis. Bubonic and septicemic plague are caused by insect bites and carried by rats and the fleas that bite both them and humans. Much is made of the issue of rats in the Asian slums and those two types of plague are eradicated by vermin control. Pneumonic plague, the third type, was not carried by infected rats and fleas but is airborne and breathed into the lungs. The issue of poor sanitation and crowded living conditions are key to preventing the spread of pneumonic plague.
It was reported Charlton Heston was considering taking part in a third picture based on James A. Michener's "Hawaii." However, no such sequel followed the release of The Hawaiians (1970).