The plot is based largely on the Iranian Embassy siege of 1980 in London, when a team from the SAS made a sudden assault on the building to rescue those being held hostage inside. As producer, Euan Lloyd was inspired to make the film by visiting the scene during the siege and watching live coverage of it on television, moving quickly to prevent someone else developing the same idea. An initial synopsis was created by George Markstein. This was then turned into a novel by James Follett, as "The Tiptoe Boys", in 30 days. Meanwhile, chapter-by-chapter as the novel was completed, it was posted to Reginald Rose in Los Angeles, who wrote the final screenplay. The film was released in the United States as "The Final Option".