Julia Roberts was not the first choice for Vivian. Many prominent actresses, including Molly Ringwald and Karen Allen, turned down the role due to the subject matter . Al Pacino also famously passed on the role of Edward after doing a reading with Roberts .
Screenwriter J.F. Lawton's original script, 3,000 (named for the price Edward paid Vivian), was a gritty cautionary tale . It included themes of drug addiction and ended with Edward throwing Vivian out of his car and her riding a bus to Disneyland with her friend Kit .
Great Character: Vivian Ward (“Pretty Woman”) | by Scott Myers
Released on March 23, 1990, Pretty Woman is an American romantic comedy directed by Garry Marshall that became a cultural phenomenon and cemented Julia Roberts as a Hollywood superstar . Originally conceived as a dark drama titled 3,000 , the film was reconceived by Disney's Touchstone Pictures into the "modern fairy tale" audiences know today .