'Spyros Skouros', then president of 20th Century Fox, liked the concept and reportedly urged the production of this film.
"M47" (Dr. Leslie Gaskell's designation in the movie for the so-called "asteroid") is in real life, one of the "missing" Messier Objects whose correct position was not definitively identified until 1959 (two years after the release of 'Kronos'). It is an open star cluster in the constellation of Puppis.
After a string of highly successful big budget science fiction films throughout the 1960s, Twentieth Century Fox considered remaking this film in the early 1970s in response to the energy crisis. The project was not green lighted and, by the end of that decade, accepted an offer from Wade Williams to buy the film and all rights. This film is now part of the "Wade Williams Collection."
Baxter Ward, who played a TV news anchorman, was a real life TV news reporter at the timea.
Before production began, the budget was cut. This required a second draft of the script which eliminated some character development and some expensive special effects sequences.
The communication console and screen from Klaatu's saucer featured in The Day the Earth Stood Still can be seen directly in the background of Labcentral's "Astro Physics" Laboratory where Vera Hunter and Dr. Hubbell Eliot have their confrontation. A map of the world has been placed behind the glass.
The long shots of Kronos moving were accomplished by animation, presumably the work of animator Gene Warren.