Lux Vide announced Sandokan as a new international production. The idea was inspired by the popular eleven adventure novels by Italian author Emilio Salgari, which tell the story of the legendary 19th century pirate Sandokan and his band, the Tigers of Mompracem, fighting against the colonial power of the Dutch and British empires in southeastern Asia. The show is supposed to be a fresh and modern take on the world of Salgari, with a strong female point of view from the brave heroines, such as Lady Marianna Guillonk.
Angkor Wat, a temple complex in Cambodia, was considered for one of the locations for Sandokan by Domenico Sica during location scouting.