The story in “Pretty Woman” was not supposed to have a happy ending. The script was changed at the last minute

The film “Pretty Woman”, directed by Garry Marshall, hit the big screens in the United States in March 1990 and immediately became a sensation, becoming known as a modern Cinderella story. it attracted millions of viewers to cinemas, grossing over $460 million in total, and although the years have passed, its phenomenon has not diminished.

The story of Vivien and Edward stole the hearts of viewers. The first scenario assumed a different ending

One of the components of its success was the script by JF Lawton, but its original form assumed a completely different ending than the one we know. In the final version, Vivien comes from a small province to Los Angeles to change her life. The brutal reality and lack of means of subsistence force her to work as an escort. This is how she meets a wealthy lawyer, Edward Lewis, who offers her $3,000 in exchange for a week spent together. The girl accepts the offer, but soon a hot feeling develops between her and the handsome businessman, in which money plays no role.

It wasn’t supposed to be “Pretty Woman.” Changes have become a guarantee of success

It turns out that it was initially supposed to be titled “3000” and was not a comedy at all, but a dramatic and dark story about unhappy love and social differences. The original version assumed that Vivian engages in sex work to earn money for the drugs to which she is addicted. After a week spent with Edward, she falls in love with him and is convinced that he reciprocates her feelings. Disappointment comes when, in the final scene of the story, the businessman throws her out of his shiny limousine, throwing the previously promised dollars in her face.

At that time, a small studio was responsible for the production, but just before the end of filming, its founders announced bankruptcy. Then the story interested the producers of the studio. Before they decided to take over the project, they set a condition – changes in the script. They needed a happy story, not a depressing one. – At the script stage, Pretty Woman was an adult film about a prostitute on Hollywood Boulevard. In the original version – very dark – she was supposed to die of an overdose – the then head of the studio, Jeffrey Katzenberg. It was at their instigation that JF Lewton rewrote the final scenes, which, as it later turned out, was a bull’s-eye. The relationship between the main actors and Richard Gere turned out to be important. – The chemistry between Julia and Gere, felt on screen, was also palpable during the auditions. I can’t imagine it could have ended any other way, the screenwriter later said in an interview with . – They brought such charm that viewers would not want a dark ending – added the director.