The hit 2000s comedy series Legally Blonde is coming to the small screen with the announcement of a prequel TV series from Reese Witherspoon entitled Elle . The classic aughts staple debuted in 2001 and follows supposed ditzy rich girl Elle Woods (Witherspoon) who, in order to win back her ex-boyfriend, earns her way into Harvard Law School. With its signature tongue-in-cheek humor, anchored largely by Witherspoon’s masterful performance, Legally Blonde kept viewers laughing while also poking fun at harmful stereotypes about women in traditionally male-dominated spaces.
Though Legally Blonde earned notably positive marks from critics, it was the financials that told the whole story, and the Reese Witherspoon vehicle grossed nearly $150 million worldwide (via Box Office Mojo). A sequel followed in 2003 that sank considerably in the critical department, but still fared exceptionally well financially. This made hope high for Legally Blonde 3, but a true Reese Witherspoon-led sequel remained elusive. 2009’s straight-to-DVD offshoot Legally Blondes didn’t fill the void, and hope seemed lost until the announcement of a Legally Blonde TV series in 2024.
A few short weeks after the mysterious Legally Blonde TV project was announced, the latest news sees Elle confirmed at Prime Video. The upcoming series will be a prequel that follows the spunky future lawyer in her high school years. Elle has been given a straight-to-series order from Amazon Prime Video and will be produced by Witherspoon through her Hello Sunshine production company. No cast details are revealed, and a production timeline is still elusive.
Even as Legally Blonde 3 still languishes in development hell, a Legally Blonde TV show has officially been announced that will seemingly fill the void. With years of conflicting reports regarding Elle Woods’ return to the big screen, the news of a show comes as something of a surprise, but is nevertheless exciting for fans of the two-decades-old franchise. The prequel series, Elle, will be set before the events of 2001’s Legally Blonde.
Perhaps the most exciting element of the newly announced Legally Blonde TV series, Elle, is that Reese Witherspoon is producing through her company, Hello Sunshine. However, she is far from the only big name attached, and original Legally Blonde producer Marc Platt will also be involved with the show as producer, but the scope of his role on the project is unknown. The show is created by Laura Kittrell who will also serve as its showrunner.
The Legally Blonde franchise includes:
Though fans might have been hoping to see Reese Witherspoon return to the role of Elle Woods in the upcoming prequel, Elle, it doesn’t seem likely considering the story details already revealed. Elle is a prequel that will follow the spunky teen as she is shaped by events during her years in high school. The first movie takes place during her freshman year of college, and the series will likely highlight her experiences that would eventually compel her to attend Harvard Law School.