Wild First Drafts of Famous Films

The Stories We Think We Know

Iconic movies feel like cultural bedrock—as if they were always destined to exist in their final, perfect form. But what if the stories we know by heart were almost entirely different? Many of cinema’s most defining films began as nearly unrecognizable drafts before being transformed into the masterpieces we cherish.

Five Radically Different Films

Pretty Woman: From Gritty Tragedy to Modern Fairy Tale

Before it was a glossy Cinderella story, Pretty Woman was a gritty, cautionary drama titled "3000." In this bleak original version, Vivian was not a charming dreamer but a struggling, drug-addicted prostitute. Edward, her wealthy client, was cold, transactional, and emotionally distant, their relationship a business deal wrapped in loneliness.

The ending was even bleaker. When their week was over, Edward tossed Vivian out of the car and drove away, leaving her on a dark corner with the money—$3,000 that symbolized how much her dignity had cost. When Disney acquired the script, the goal was not simply to sanitize it but to find the humanity buried underneath. Director Garry Marshall infused the story with warmth, humor, and vulnerability, making the characters redeemable. This shift tapped directly into the optimistic spirit of the 1990s, transforming a harsh tale of despair into one of Hollywood's most enduring modern fairy tales.

The Shining: From Psychological Collapse to Supernatural Labyrinth

Stephen King’s earliest draft of The Shining wasn’t a supernatural horror story. Instead, it leaned entirely into psychology, chronicling a man’s slow, suffocating descent into madness. Jack Torrance wasn’t possessed by an evil presence; he was crushed by his own demons of guilt, failure, and isolation. In this version, there were no twin girls, no elevator of blood, and no spectral bartender. The Overlook Hotel was merely a massive, empty monument to Jack’s inner collapse.

It was director Stanley Kubrick who reshaped the narrative, stripping away King’s warmer touches to introduce a chilling ambiguity. By blurring the line between madness and the supernatural, Kubrick turned the story into a psychological labyrinth that leaves audiences arguing to this day about what is real and what is purely inside Jack's head. In Kubrick's hands, the true horror wasn't a ghost in the halls; it was the terrifying power of isolation itself.

Star Wars: A Green-Skinned Smuggler in a Galaxy Far, Far Away

In one early draft of Star Wars, the iconic trio we know and love was completely different. Han Solo was conceived as a green alien with gills, and Luke Skywalker was imagined not as a young farm boy but as an old general. Most shockingly, there wasn’t a Skywalker in sight. This single change would have completely erased the core dynastic saga that defines the entire franchise, making for a very different galaxy far, far away.

The Matrix: A Different Hero in a Different Future

Early drafts of The Matrix proposed a film with a profoundly different aesthetic and philosophical core. The pivotal guide, Morpheus, was originally conceived as a woman. Furthermore, the narrative was set in the 22nd century, and the virtual prison itself was envisioned as a reality that "looked nothing like our world," altering the very nature of its central illusion.

The Wizard of Oz: A Sci-Fi Adventure, Not a Fantasy Musical

Before Dorothy followed the yellow brick road, her journey was envisioned as a sci-fi adventure. Early concepts imagined Oz not as a magical kingdom but as a neon metropolis. Correspondingly, the great and powerful Wizard was no mystical ruler but a mad inventor. The final rewrite marked a dramatic genre shift, transforming a potential science fiction story into the classic fantasy musical that has endured for generations.

Conclusion: The Magic of the Rewrite

These concepts reveal that the initial spark of an idea is only the beginning. It's a powerful reminder that some of cinema's most indelible moments were not born of a single flash of genius, but forged in the chaotic, uncertain crucible of the rewrite. Which of these original versions do you wish had been made?