King Vidor turned down the chance to direct. Arnold Schulman was signed to write the screenplay. Anthony Mann was eventually chosen to direct the reimagining of the 1931 classic. Most known for the critically acclaimed hits "The Glenn Miller Story (1954)" and "Men in War (1957)", Mann had proven himself as a talented western director in the decade prior to "Cimarron", contributing eight films to the genre. However, disagreements in the direction of the film "Cimarron" led to bitter arguments with producer Edmund Grainger, until eventually Mann left the project halfway through filming. Director Charles Walters finished the film but received no screen credit.