A prequel to Legally Blonde is in production at Prime Video. But what do you need to know about Elle so far?
The 2001 film Legally Blonde, based on the novel by Amanda Brown, featured Elle Woods (Reese Witherspoon), a sorority girl who attempts to win back her ex-boyfriend Warner (Matthew Davis) by earning a degree from Harvard Law School. Luke Wilson, Selma Blair, Victor Garber, and Jennifer Coolidge rounded out the cast, which inspired the second film two years later.
News broke in 2018 that Witherspoon was teaming up with Mindy Kaling for Legally Blonde 3, but there has been no concrete update since then. However, Kaling did mention the news of the first part.
“Since we started this project, Jennifer Coolidge has made this comeback with ‘White Lotus,'” she explained to Time magazine in February 2025 about Legally Blonde 3. “If you put Reese Witherspoon and Jennifer Coolidge in a movie now, who wouldn’t run to the theater to see it? And they’re already the two stars of Legally Blonde, right? That’s great.”
Kaling previously hinted that the film would portray a 40-year-old Elle, telling People in 2021, “I love Elle Woods as a character, and when Reese asked me to write her, I was like, ‘Absolutely!’ I can’t wait to see what people think of us writing Elle Woods. We wrote Elle Woods at 40 years old, so it was really fun to imagine what Elle would be like at 40 and Elle at 21.”
It’s unclear whether Legally Blonde 3 will ever be made, but keep scrolling for everything you want to know about the Legally Blonde prequel, Elle.
Who plays Elle?
Lexi Maintree won the role of Elle Woods after a nationwide competition.
“Allow me to introduce you to the new Elle Woods! After watching so many amazing auditions for the new Elle prequel series on @PrimeVideo, we finally found our Elle,” Witherspoon wrote on Instagram in February 2025, alongside a video of Mine Tree learning the news. “And today I have to announce the news myself! Meet @leximinetree 💕🌟💅🏼”
What is the first part about?
According to the official synopsis, Elle follows Elle Woods through her high school years and “learns about the life experiences that shaped her into the iconic young woman we’ve come to know and love in the first Legally Blonde movie. In other words, get ready for the teenage years of this legendary lawyer’s story.”
Who else is on “Elle”?
Elle’s parents are played by June Diane Raphael and Tom Everett Scott. Chandler Kinney, Gabriel Policano, and Jacob Moskowitz were also announced as series regulars.
Moskowitz will play a star athlete at the school who is fascinated by Elle, while Kinney will play a senior who is at odds with Elle. And then there’s Policano, who has been 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 joy at returning to work amid his battle with cancer.
“So this is exciting…I’m going back to work for a bit,” the actor wrote via Instagram. “I’m so excited to be joining such a fun project with such an amazing cast. I’m just as excited to do this as my wife and girls 😍 #LegallyBlonde #Elle.”
Cover Image Ever since Elle Woods graduated from Harvard Law School, Legally Blonde has seen a flurry of spin-offs and sequels. I mean, what, is it difficult? From Gossip Girl creators Josh Schwartz and Stephanie Savage’s TV series spin-off Elle to the musical version that made its way to Broadway, the 2001 comedy (…)
Who is the creative team behind “Elle”?
Elle was created by Laura Kittrell and Caroline Dries. Witherspoon, Lauren Nuestatter, Lauren Kisilevski, and Marc Platt will serve as executive producers.
Is it possible that “Legally Blonde” will make a cameo appearance?
Witherspoon is involved behind the scenes, but it’s unclear whether the show will find a way to reference characters from the first two films or incorporate the actor on screen.
‘Legally Blonde’ cast reunites ahead of ‘Elle’ premiere
Witherspoon will celebrate the 25th anniversary of Legally Blonde in June 2026, reuniting with the original cast including Jennifer Coolidge and Selma Blair. The trio walked the red carpet at New York City’s Hall des Lumières as part of the Elle World pop-up event to promote Elle. They also posed for photos with former co-stars Ali Larter, Matthew Davis, Victor Garber, June Diane Raphael, Tom Everett Scott, and Maintree.
When is “Elle” first broadcast?
Elle will premiere on Prime Video on July 1, 2026.
