The film was written by Harikrishnan and is based on the legend of the Odiyan clan, who in Kerala folklore are men believed to possess shapeshifting abilities and can assume animal forms.

The film stars Mohanlal in the title role, alongside an ensemble cast of Prakash Raj, Manju Warrier, Siddique, Innocent, Manoj Joshi, Sana Althaf, Kailesh, Narain, Sreejaya Nair and Nandhu Krishnamoorthy.

His arrival causes much unease to some of the villagers, especially Ravunni Nair, Prabha's cousin brother, who has a personal grudge against him.

Major parts of the film were shot in Palakkad district, where the story's Thenkurissi village was recreated.

Odiyan was released worldwide on 14 December 2018 alongside its dubbed versions in Tamil and Telugu languages.

Bachchan was reported to be playing the father of Mohanlal's character, and Prakash Raj and Manju Warrier were in substantial roles.

The film is based on the legends of the "Odiyan" clan—mythical black magicians with the ability to shapeshift by using a trick called odi vidya.

[2] The mythical clan, which supposedly Inhabited the Malabar region of North Kerala, were said to terrorise people to death by appearing in animal forms called odi veykkuka at night.

He wrote that Antony Perumbavoor would produce the film through Aashirvad Cinemas, and that Sabu Cyril—who was later replaced by Prashanth Madhav—and Shaji Kumar would serve as production designer and cinematographer.

Odiyans are said to have been the first "quotation gangs" (hired criminals) in Kerala, who went disguised as animals during night hours to attack their enemies.

[6] Both Menon and Harikrishnan originate from Palakkad (Malabar) and grew up hearing the legends of Odiyans during their childhood.

[7][8] Menon and Harikrishnan initially planned a children's film titled Randu Vaanavillukal, which was set in the drylands of Tamil Nadu.

Menon liked a one-line story narrated by Harikrishnan, who later wrote a single scene for Odiyan, which he intended as the introduction of the title character.

Earlier, writer-director A. K. Lohithadas had proceeded with a story based on an Odiyan with Mohanlal in the lead role, but it was not made into a film.

[9] Harikrishnan got the plot idea when he was lecturing journalism classes; he asked the students to write a feature story to test their creativity.

Menon said Odiyan is likely to release in 2017, but is uncertain as the film requires an extensive post-production with a large chunk of time need to be spent for visual effects.

[5] In June 2017, the film crew convened for a script discussion session at an outdoor location in Kava, Palakkad.

[15] It was also revealed the plan is to simultaneously release the film in Tamil and Telugu languages along with the original Malayalam version.

[16] In August, Prashanth Madhav began the film's set work in Palakkad by creating the Thenkurissi village which pass through three eras in the story.

[17][18] Menon said that Odiyan Manikyan's journey starts from the holy Ghats in Varanasi, where he spend 15 years before returning to Thenkurissi.

[10] In June, a casting call was released seeking children and teenagers for playing the younger versions of Mohanlal, Warrier and Raj.

[35] In November, Narain confirmed he is part of the cast and would join the film in its final schedule, which will shoot Odiyan Manikyan's younger age.

[37] From the teaser trailer released in December, more of the cast was revealed confirming Kailash, Sana Althaf, and Sreejaya Nair.

[41] In the film, Odiyan Manikyan spent 15 years in the sacred lands of Varanasi before returning to his native village, Thenkurissi.

[49] The climax fight sequence was filmed inside an Indian banyan tree beside the base of empty Walayar Dam.

[82] The film also features five songs composed by M. Jayachandran, the lyrics were written by Rafeeq Ahamed, Lakshmi Shrikumar, and Prabha Varma.

[96] The concept art of the younger Odiyan Manikyan was revealed through a digital motion poster in July 2017.

[97] The official marketing campaign of the film began in October 2018 by unveiling a life-size statue of Odiyan Manikyan at PVR Cinemas in Lulu International Shopping Mall, Kochi.

[99] The team invited entries from public for a video making contest conceptualised on Odiyan, with prize money ranging from ₹25,000 to ₹1 lakh for the finalists.

[107][108] Odiyan, with a gross collection of ₹1.26 crore, became the third highest-grossing Malayalam film in Tamil Nadu, behind Lucifer and Premam.