In 2010, as part of the Wall Street Transparency and Accountability Act,  which was to regulate financial markets, a rule was included which  barred anyone from using secret inside information to corner markets,  similar to what the Duke brothers tried to do in the movie. Since the  movie inspired this rule, it has since become known as the Eddie Murphy Rule

The film was conceived as a vehicle for Gene Wilder and Richard Pryor. When Pryor dropped out and Eddie Murphy came on board, Murphy tried to get Wilder replaced, because he didn't  want people to think he was just trying to be another Pryor.