 John Carpenter (I) (qv) wanted a truly rugged individual to play  Nada. He cast wrestler Roddy Piper (qv) in lead role after seeing  him at _Wrestlemania III (1987) (V)_ (qv). Carpenter remembered  Keith David (I) (qv)s performance in _Thing, The (1982)_ (qv) and  wrote the role of Frank specifically for the actor.