Get ready to practice the “bend and snap”! Legally Blonde 3 is officially happening.
In June 2018, Reese Witherspoon, who famously portrayed Elle Woods in the first two Legally Blonde films, confirmed that she would reprise her role in the upcoming third installment of the beloved franchise.
“It’s true,” Witherspoon wrote in the caption of a video showing her in a pink sequin bikini while relaxing on a blue pool float.
Fans of Legally Blonde quickly recognized that Witherspoon was recreating the iconic Harvard video essay scene from the first movie, which debuted in 2001.
About a year later, Witherspoon shared that she had seen a version of the script but had not yet filmed any scenes.
“She’s such a beloved character,” Witherspoon said. “You want her to go on a hero’s journey like she did in the first movie, and I’m having a great time working on it.”
In April 2024, Deadline reported that a Legally Blonde spinoff series was being produced by Witherspoon’s production company, Hello Sunshine, in collaboration with Amazon MGM Studios. The series, titled Elle, is set to begin filming in March 2025.
“I’m really excited because we’re currently going through the casting process and deciding who will play the young me,” Witherspoon told in January 2025. “It’s kind of a trip.”
From the returning cast to script previews, here’s everything we know about Legally Blonde 3.
What is Legally Blonde 3 about?
Although the full plot remains under wraps, Mindy Kaling, whom Witherspoon tapped to write Legally Blonde 3, revealed to Access Hollywood in 2021 that Elle Woods is now 40 years old.
“How Elle is at 40 compared to how she was at 21 has been so fun to imagine,” Kaling said, noting that the famous “bend and snap” move will definitely make a return. “We have a lot of fan favorites from the original movie.”
In July 2022, Witherspoon spoke and expressed her hope that Legally Blonde 3 “comes together the right way.” She compared the project to Top Gun: Maverick, which debuted 36 years after the original, saying that the nostalgic elements of that sequel inspired the approach for Elle Woods’ next chapter.
“They waited a long time to make another version of that movie, and I loved the nostalgia piece they incorporated into it,” Witherspoon explained. “That gave us a lot of inspiration for what we want to do with Elle Woods, ensuring we capture the same things that mattered to people back then.”
Witherspoon concluded, “These characters are like my friends, so I protect them. I would never make a mediocre, subpar version of their story.”
How did Legally Blonde 2: Red, White & Blonde end?
Legally Blonde 2 took Elle Woods to Washington, D.C., where she successfully persuaded lawmakers to pass a bill banning animal testing in cosmetics.
She then marries her longtime love, Emmett Richmond. In the final scene, Emmett asks Elle where she would like to live.
“Oh, I think I know just the place,” Elle replies as she drives past the White House.
Who is in the cast?
Reese Witherspoon isn’t the only Legally Blonde star returning for the third installment. Jennifer Coolidge, who portrayed Paulette Parcelle, is also expected to return.
“There is no Legally Blonde 3 without Jennifer Coolidge,” Coolidge, known for her role in Big Little Lies, told Entertainment Tonight in February 2023.
Coolidge later confirmed her involvement in an interview with Extra, saying, “Of course, I would be on board. I would love to do it.”
Though unconfirmed, fans are hoping that Elle Woods and Emmett Richmond, played by Luke Wilson, remain married in the third movie. “I’m always up to work with Reese again,” Wilson said in June 2021.
Selma Blair, who played Elle’s former adversary turned friend, is also hoping for a cameo. “I’m hoping that legacy can continue… that movie is one of the good things in life. It’s a highlight,” Blair said on the Shut Up Evan podcast.
In August 2022, Kaling mentioned during a conversation with Extra that she wouldn’t rule out writing a part for Witherspoon’s daughter, Ava Phillippe.
“If that’s something she wanted to do, what a joy it would be to have her in it,” Kaling shared.
In June 2024, Luke Wilson mentioned he hadn’t heard much about Legally Blonde 3. “I spoke to Reese a couple of years ago and some of the other cast members. I think everyone would be up for doing it.
But Reese is so sharp, I think she wants to make sure the script is really good before it happens,” he explained during an appearance on the Today show.
Who is writing Legally Blonde 3?
Reese Witherspoon enlisted actress Mindy Kaling and Emmy-winning comedy writer Dan Goor to co-write the script for the upcoming rom-com.
“Elle Woods is so iconic, proving you can be girly and smart at the same time. Bend and snap, people!” Kaling wrote on Instagram when the writing duo was announced in May 2020.
When will Legally Blonde 3 premiere?
MGM initially announced a release date for May 2022. However, with the pivot to a series, Deadline confirmed that filming will begin in March 2025. Kaling discussed the delay in a March 2022 interview.
“We don’t want to ruin what’s basically Reese’s Avengers franchise,” Kaling joked, explaining that she and Goor had much to consider when crafting a new story for Elle Woods.
“What is Elle Woods like at 42? Has she become all the things she wanted? How does that personality manifest in an older woman? Has she become more cynical? Her brightness and cheerfulness worked at 22, but how has life changed her outlook?”
