Tony Jaa was set to play Xian Chow, Kurt Sloane's mentor, but had to drop out due to a schedule conflict. He was replaced by Jean-Claude Van Damme, who played Kurt Sloane in the original Kickboxer (1989).
Michel Qissi who played Tong Po in the original Kickboxer (1989), has a small cameo in this film. Qissi plays a fellow prisoner who asks "You forgot about me?" as Sloan and Durand escape from jail.
Scott Adkins was approached to play Eric Sloane, but declined because he felt with a project like this, he wanted to showcase his action skills. The role eventually went to Darren Shahlavi.
Hong Kong filmmaker Stephen Fung was to have made his Hollywood directorial debut. However, he left production the weekend before shooting was to begin. He was replaced by John Stockwell.