Writers Michael Maryk and Brent Monahan wrote the novel "Death Bite" in 1979 to cash in on the success of Peter Benchley’s "Jaws" in the hopes that their novel would likewise be turned into a feature film. Hollywood agent Martin Erlichman bought the rights to the novel for $5,000 for one year. According to Monahan, Erlichman was fond of optioning screenplays on spec, and had file cabinets filled with the works of many anxious writers seeking to hit it big. Having done nothing with the ‘’Death Bite’’ property in the interim, and only a couple months remaining on his option, Erlichman sought to take advantage of the tax breaks afforded in Canada's film industry at that time.