Although the Golden Child is referred to as a boy throughout the film, J.L. Reate is actually a girl.
The film was intended as a serious adventure drama, with Mel Gibson in the lead role. After Gibson turned the film down and Eddie Murphy replaced him, the script was rewritten as a partial comedy.
George Miller was Eddie Murphy's first choice for director. He turned it down because Murphy kept him waiting at a meeting for four hours.
(at around 1h 10 mins) On the return flight from Nepal, Eddie Murphy starts to sing with the music on the headphones on the plane. The third line/gibberish he sings is, "Eddie Murphy is a cool man."
Gene LeBell: the drunk biker who coughs in Eddie Murphy's face. LeBell has trained fighters such as Chuck Norris and Ronda Rousey.