After producer Mike Frankovich announced that he had purchased the movie rights to Glendon Swarthout's novel "The Shootist", Wayne expressed a strong desire to play the title role, reportedly because of similarities to the character Jimmy Ringo in "The Gunfighter", a role he had turned down 25 years previously. He was not initially considered due to the health and stamina issues he had experienced during filming of his penultimate film, "Rooster Cogburn". Paul Newman passed on the role, as did George C. Scott, Charles Bronson, Gene Hackman, and Clint Eastwood, before it was finally offered to Wayne. Although his compromised lung capacity made breathing and mobility difficult at Carson City's altitude, and production had to be shut down for a week while he recovered from influenza, Wayne completed the filming without further significant medical issues.