The film was one of two produced concurrently following the death of the series' star, Peter Sellers. Whereas the previous film, Trail of the Pink Panther made use of unused footage of Sellers as Inspector Clouseau, Curse attempted to relaunch the series with a new lead, Ted Wass, as Det. Clifton Sleigh, an incompetent police officer assigned to find the missing Inspector Clouseau.

The film featured many cameo appearances by actors who previously appeared in Pink Panther films, most notably David Niven in his final film performance. (His voice had to be dubbed by impressionist Rich Little due to his failing health.) Also appearing were Robert Wagner, Burt Kwouk as Kato, and Herbert Lom as Insp. Dreyfus. Spoiler warning: Plot and/or ending details follow.

The film ends with Sleigh successfully tracking Clouseau down, only to discover that the former Chief Inspector has undergone plastic surgery and now looks like Roger Moore. Moore is credited as "Turk Thrust II" in this film, a nod to actor Bryan Forbes who used the pseudonym "Turk Thrust" in the 1964 Clouseau film, A Shot in the Dark. As it happened, Moore was the best man at Forbes' wedding.

Trivia
* Shot at the same time as Trail of the Pink Panther
* Roger Moore's scenes were shot during a break from shooting Octopussy.

Impact
Curse of the Pink Panther was a critical and box office failure, with the general consensus that attempting to continue the Pink Panther series without Sellers was foolhardy. Further films were cancelled, although another unsuccessful attempt at reviving the series occurred 10 years later with Son of the Pink Panther, starring Roberto Benigni as Clouseau's illegitimate son. Yet another attempt would be made in 2006 with Steve Martin as Clouseau, although his film is considered a rebooting of the franchise rather than a relaunch or continuation.