Some years after the production ended, Nicholson had a dispute with Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer on an unrelated matter. The former had a deal with MGM in producing a film together, but when that project was not pursued, Nicholson demanded compensation; the result being the acquisition of this film. This explains why, out of the three arranged productions between Carlo Ponti and Michelangelo Antonioni for MGM beginning with "Blowup" (1966) and followed up by "Zabriskie Point" (1970); this was the only one not passed on to Warner Bros., successor-of-interest to the pre-1986 MGM catalogue via their acquisition of Turner Entertainment, who was the initial purchasor of said catalogue. For years Nicholson kept "The Passenger" out of circulation until Sony Pictures Classics courted him with an offer to restore the film.