De NNDB :
Edwards' most famous work, The Pink Panther, was released in 1963, with Peter Sellers as Inspector Jacques Clouseau. The part had originally been cast with Peter Ustinov, but that actor reneged at the last minute, and Sellers stepped in, with his suggestion that the character be "bumbling", which, of course, changed not just the character, but the nature of film comedy.
E de uma Revisão por Clarenc Beaks :
The Pink Panther (1963) began life as a star-studded caper comedy intended to be anchored by David Niven as the debonair jewel thief Sir Charles Lytton, aka "The Phantom," a man audacious enough to carry on an affair with the wife of his tireless, if thoroughly inept, pursuer, Inspector Jacques Clouseau. And had Peter Ustinov, originally cast as Clouseau (and, coincidentally, batman to the higher-ranking Niven in World War II), not backed out of the production, following Ava Gardner's lead (who had been cast as Clouseau's philandering spouse), it's entirely possible that there would have been no Pink Panther franchise (though a great thespian, Ustinov was hardly anyone's idea of an explosive comedic talent). But when Peter Sellers came on board as the incompetent inspector, the picture was suddenly given a raucously funny performer who easily could run away with the proceedings.
Por isso, parece que pretendia ser uma comédia desde o começo, mas um estilo de comédia bem diferente do que se tornou uma vez que Sellers se envolveu.