The inspiration behind Little Caesar was production chief Darryl F. Zanuck's 1931 decision to exploit current headlines sensationalizing gangster activities. On seeing the financial success of Little Caesar, the studio decided to capitalize on the style. Little Caesar was a product of the studio factory: made just six months before Five Star Final, it features the same director and star, Mervyn LeRoy and Edward G. Robinson. But because it was made before the gangster formula had rigidified, its terse and economic style has a raw power, which isn't lost on audiences today. Robinson's Caesar Enrico Bandello (“Rico”) set the standard by which all later gangsters rose and fell.