Reese Witherspoon’s ‘Legally Blonde’ prequel series ‘Elle’ coming to Prime Video

Reese Witherspoon will be bringing a ‘Legally Blonde’ prequel series to Amazon Prime Video. Witherspoon will serve as executive producer, via her Hello Sunshine banner.

The 48-year-old Witherspoon recently announced at Amazon Prime Video’s upfront presentation that the prequel series was in the works at the streamer, sharing: “I had this crazy idea that the world might want to know the origin story of Elle Woods. So, here I am to officially tell you the most amazing news ever, which is that we’re going back to high school with Elle .. Before she became the most famous Gemini vegetarian to graduate from Harvard Law School, she was just a regular ‘90s high school girl. And thanks to Amazon and Hello Sunshine, all of you are going to get to know her in this new series on Amazon Prime Video. I’m so excited.”

The show, titled Elle, will tell the origin story of Elle Woods as a 1990s high schooler. Per a series synopsis, Elle will feature the experiences and adventures that shaped the title character into the heroine Witherspoon played in the original 2001 movie, with the logline for the series reads, “’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.”  As of press time, the role of teenaged Elle has not been cast.

Witherspoon said in a statement: “I truly couldn’t be more excited about this series! 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!”

Vernon Sanders, head of television for Amazon MGM Studios, also shared: “One of the most quotable, iconic, and beloved characters that is ingrained in the fabric of Hollywood history has to be Elle Woods, and we are honored to bring her origin story to our global Prime Video customers. Reese and Hello Sunshine’s vision for this series, coupled with Laura Kittrell’s winning voice, made this show completely undeniable.”

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