8 Famous Movies That Started Out In Completely Different Genres
5. Pretty Woman Was A Sad, Gritty Drama Before It Became A Rom-Com
Given that it's about a prostitute, it's not all that difficult to imagine that, once upon a time, Pretty Woman was intended as a dark and wholly depressing film about sex workers in the 1980s. Whilst a film in that genre could have succeeded, it's hard to see how it would have done as well as the light-hearted romp we ultimately got.
The early version of Pretty Woman, you see, didn't position the main character (eventually played by Julia Roberts) as a feisty, confident and assertive "hooker with a heart of gold" - she was addicted to cocaine. Also: this dark draft would have ended with Richard Gere's character, Edward, throwing her out of his car.
The studio felt that, whilst there was a lot to like about Pretty Woman, it would benefit from being less... well, morbid. As a result, Disney head Jeffrey Katzenberg suggested that the film be written to play up the fairytale elements of the story - you know, a prostitute going from living on streets to being super rich and happy.
The switch of genres worked a treat, of course, resulting in box office glory, the rise of Julia Roberts and the resurgence of the romantic comedy. It's tough to imagine a dour film about a coke-addicted prostitute doing anywhere near as well!