A Legally Blonde prequel is in the works at Prime Video — but what is there to know about Elle so far?
Based on Amanda Brown‘s novel, the 2001 movie Legally Blonde introduced Us to Elle Woods (Reese Witherspoon), a sorority girl who attempted to win back her ex-boyfriend Warner (Matthew Davis) by getting a degree at Harvard Law School. Luke Wilson, Selma Blair, Victor Garber and Jennifer Coolidge rounded out the cast, which inspired a second movie two years later.
While news broke in 2018 that Witherspoon had teamed up with Mindy Kaling for Legally Blonde 3, there has been no real update since. Kaling has addressed the prequel news, however.
“Jennifer Coolidge, since the time we started this project, has had this renaissance with The White Lotus,” she explained to Time in February 2025 about Legally Blonde 3. “If you put Reese Witherspoon and Jennifer Coolidge in a movie right now, I don’t know a single person who wouldn’t run to the theaters to see it. And they’re already the two stars of Legally Blonde? That’s fantastic.”
Related: ‘Legally Blonde’ Cast: Where Are They Now?
The iconic comedy that gave us “bend and snap!” lives on! Released in 2001, Legally Blonde follows Reese Witherspoon‘s Elle Woods, a sorority girl who is dumped by her boyfriend who thinks he’s too good for her. In an effort to prove him wrong and win him back, she hits the books and is accepted […]
Kaling had previously teased that the movie would depict Elle at age 40, telling People in 2021, “I love Elle Woods as a character and when Reese asked me to write it I was like, ‘Absolutely!’. I can’t wait to see what people will think of the way we wrote Elle Woods. We wrote Elle Woods at 40, so how Elle is at 40 versus how she was at 21 has been really fun to imagine.”
While it’s unclear if Legally Blonde 3 will ever be made, keep scrolling for everything to know about the Legally Blonde prequel Elle:
Who Is Playing Elle?
Lexi Minetree scored the role of Elle Woods after a nationwide open casting call.
“Allow me to introduce you to the new Elle Woods! After watching so many incredible auditions for the new Elle prequel series on @PrimeVideo, we finally found our Elle,” Witherspoon wrote via Instagram in February 2025 alongside a video of Minetree learning the news. “And today, I got to break the news myself! Meet @leximinetree 💕🌟💅🏼.”
What Is the Prequel About?
According to the official synopsis, Elle follows Elle Woods in high school as “we 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. In other words, get ready for the teen years of this legendary lawyer’s story.”
Who Else Stars in ‘Elle’?
Elle’s parents will be played by June Diane Raphael and Tom Everett Scott. Chandler Kinney, Gabrielle Policano and Jacob Moskovitz were also announced as series regulars.
Moskovitz will be playing the star athlete of the school who is charmed by Elle while Kinney is a senior who is at odds with Elle. Then there’s Policano, who was teased as the “anti-Elle Woods.”
In May 2025, James Van Der Beek was added to the cast. The Dawson’s Creek alum took to social media to share his excitement to head back to work amid his cancer battle.
“So, this is exciting… I’m going back to work for a bit,” the actor wrote via Instagram. “Super excited to join this awesome cast in such a fun project. Almost as excited as my wife and girls are that I’m doing this 😍 #LegallyBlonde #Elle.”
Related: Every ‘Legally Blonde’ Spinoff and Sequel: From Movies to Broadway
Cover Images Ever since Elle Woods graduated from Harvard Law School, there have been a flurry of Legally Blonde spinoffs and sequels. Because, what, like it’s hard? From the TV series spinoff Elle from Gossip Girl creators Josh Schwartz and Stephanie Savage to a musical version that made its way to Broadway, the 2001 comedy is […]
Who Is the Creative Team Behind ‘Elle’?
Elle is created by Laura Kittrell with Caroline Dries. Witherspoon, Lauren Nuestadter, Lauren Kisilevsky and Marc Platt as executive producers.
Could There Be ‘Legally Blonde’ Cameos?
Witherspoon is involved behind the scenes but it isn’t clear whether the show will find a way to reference the characters from the first two films — or incorporate the actors on screen.
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