Happy people don't just kill their husbands—but they do celebrate when there's news regarding Legally Blonde. The iconic 2001 comedy has been a staple feel-good movie and one of the best films from the 2000s for over two decades—inspiring millions of girls to approach their dreams with their full, authentic selves—and now it's officially making a comeback. After fans have been clamoring for a return of the film series for years, and with Legally Blonde 3 still in limbo, it's been confirmed that Elle Woods will get a television debut.
On May 14, 2024, Variety reported that a Legally Blonde prequel series is in the works at Amazon Prime Video, with Reese Witherspoon set to executive produce. Created by Insecure alum Laura Kittrell, the show, titled Elle, will depict the "origin story" of Elle Woods, during her high school years in the '90s. According to the official description, viewers can expect to "learn about the life experiences that shaped her into the iconic young woman we came to know and love in the first Legally Blonde film."
"I truly couldn’t be more excited about this series!” Witherspoon said in a statement. “Fans will get to know how Elle Woods navigated her world as a teenager with her distinct personality and ingenuity, in ways that only our beloved Elle could do. What could be better than that? I’m extremely grateful to the incredible teams at Prime Video and Hello Sunshine—along with our amazing writer Laura Kittrell—for making this dream of mine come true. Legally Blonde is back!"
So what do we know about the highly-anticipated series so far? Read on for everything we know so far about the Legally Blonde prequel.
When will the 'Legally Blonde' prequel series be released?
It's unclear when the Legally Blonde TV series Elle will premiere, but we can make a guess. According to a casting call for the show (more on that below), it's set to film from April to July 2025. If casting goes well, the show can meet that timeline, and filming is on schedule, it seems possible that the series could premiere by early 2026.
Who has been cast in the 'Legally Blonde' prequel series, 'Elle?'
There's no word on who will play Elle Woods as a teenager growing up in L.A.'s Bel Air neighborhood, but there has been a major development. On September 25, 2024, Witherspoon announced that she, her production company Hello Sunshine, and Prime Video are hosting an open casting call to potentially find a young unknown to play the SoCal fashion fiend.
Witherspoon shared news of the search on Instagram. She posted a video of herself (appropriately wearing pink) opening up about the plans.
In the caption, she added, "Our search for the high school version of Elle Woods is officially ON! 💖✨ With our friends @primevideo we’re making the casting process totally OPEN, so you can submit your auditions at the link in my bio… I’m SO excited to see all your fabulous takes on everyone’s favorite Gemini vegetarian! 💕👛🌟🎀."
The open casting is officially live and set to close on October 25. According to the casting call, they're searching for someone over 18 to play 16-year-old Elle, who is described as "a driven, natural-born leader who will always stop to straighten another woman's crown."
The call also notes, "With Bel Air tastes and an allergy to social injustice, Elle's magnetic personality brightens the world with confidence, vulnerability, and an earnestness that charms everyone around her."
An unknown with compelling star power could land the role, or it could go to an emerging talent. When Witherspoon brought the character to life, she had already been a well-known teen star with roles in classic '90s movies like Cruel Intentions, Election, Fear, Pleasantville, and other films, but Legally Blonde catapulted her to even further success. So if you have the chops, give it a shot, or start your (blonde) dream casting now!
What will the 'Legally Blonde' prequel 'Elle' be about?
Details regarding the plot of Elle are scarce, but we do have a general idea of what the Legally Blonde prequel will be about. As stated by the casting call in search of the young performer to play the lead, the show will follow Elle as she's "coming of age in the '90s" and will show her "encounter her first love and her first heartbreak" and "find her moral convictions."
Is 'Legally Blonde 3' still happening?
A Hollywood production can take a while to go from rumor to reality, but the third Legally Blonde film's timeline has left fans scratching their heads. Most of the original film's cast have said they'd be down to return—from Witherspoon herself to Jennifer Coolidge to Luke Wilson. There's even an A-lister signed on to write the screenplay: Mindy Kaling signed on to write the script, alongside Dan Goor, back in 2020. However, there haven't been any updates on the highly-anticipated reboot for quite some time.
The most recent news came from Kaling, who addressed the Legally Blonde 3 delay during a podcast appearance in September 2023 when the writers' and actors' strikes were ongoing. “Obviously, now we sort of have pencils down because of the writers’ strike, but it’s had a couple of iterations over the past couple of years,” she said at the time, later adding that the project is progressing “a little more slowly than we like, but [it’s] just because we really want it to be good."
