Despite the fact that Forbidden Empire (2014) went direct-to-DVD in most countries, the movie was the highest grossing movie in Russia of 2014, paving the way for this sequel and the casting of international stars such as Arnold Schwarzenegger, Jackie Chan, and Rutger Hauer.
The Liu brothers are in fact all brothers - Mark Luu, Charles Luu and Lance Luu. They were all born in Canada.
Arnold Schwarzenegger received his 11th Razzie nomination for this film. This being the first Razzies of the 2020s, Schwarzenegger is the first person to receive a Razzie nomination in five different decades since the the ceremony was launched in 1980.
When James Hook (Schwarzenegger) and the Master (Chan) are fighting, Hook shouts that a sword hanging on the wall belonged to the Turkish sultan. This may be a reference to the Turkish Prince Hapi from 'Around the World In 80 Days' (2004), played by Schwarzenegger.