Ever since Elle Woods graduated from Harvard Law School, there have been a flurry of Legally Blonde spinoffs and sequels in her wake. Because, what, like it’s hard?
From the recently announced TV series spinoff courtesy of Gossip Girl creators Josh Schwartz and Stephanie Savage to a musical version that made its way to Broadway, the 2001 comedy is the gift that keeps on giving. Even Reese Witherspoon considers the OG movie life-changing.
“I’m so honored to have been a part of sharing her story with you all,” she wrote via Instagram while celebrating the film’s 20th anniversary in July 2021, calling Elle “the role of a lifetime.”
She reflected on the movie’s legacy, adding, “Every meme, graduation cap, musical number, Halloween costume and bend & snap has brought me so much JOY over these past two decades! I wonder… what will Elle do next?”
Us is breaking down every single iteration of the Legally Blonde franchise so fans can bend-and-snap their way back into the world of Elle Woods and friends (minus Warner … always minus Warner). Scroll down to see all the spinoffs and sequels:
‘Legally Blonde 2’
Legally Blonde 2: Red, White and Blue, released in 2003, starred key members of the original cast, including Witherspoon, Luke Wilson and Jennifer Coolidge. The film, which follows Elle as she takes on animal testing in Washington, D.C., also welcomed Sally Field and Regina King into the mix.
‘Legally Blondes’
This 2009 straight-to-DVD spinoff didn’t include any of the original cast, focusing instead on Elle Woods’ younger twin cousins, Annie (Milly Russo) and Izzy (Becky Russo). The pair move from England to California and stir the pot at their exclusive, stuffy new prep school.
‘Legally Blonde: The Musical’
Elle Woods made her way to Broadway in 2007 with Legally Blonde: The Musical, which was adapted for the stage by Laurence O’Keefe and Nell Benjamin. Laura Bell Bundy stepped into Elle’s last season Prada pumps for the show, which featured musical numbers like “Omigod You Guys” and “The Harvard Variations.” The musical took its final bow in 2008.
‘Legally Blonde 3’
Not much is known about the third Legally Blonde film, which is in the works from Witherspoon’s production company, Hello Sunshine, and written by Mindy Kaling and Dan Goor.
Though Kaling confessed to Entertainment Tonight in 2022 the script is taking a little bit longer “than we like,” she promised it would be worth the extra wait. “I think of it like Reese’s Avengers,” she explained. “Elle Woods is like her Captain America, and so you don’t want to be the person that messes up that story. So, for me, we are just taking our time because we want it to be really good.”
The Never Have I Ever creator added that Elle will have a “very juicy” story line in the new film: “[Elle and Paulette], seeing what they look like now after 20 years, is really fun.”
‘Elle’ TV Prequel
One month after Variety confirmed a TV show set within the world of the films was in development, Witherspoon confirmed the show would tell the origin story of Elle Woods.
“Here I am to officially tell you the most amazing news ever, which is that we’re going back to high school with Elle,” she announced at Amazon Prime Video’s upfront presentation in May 2024, per footage shared via X by Variety. “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.”
Variety previously reported that Schwartz and Savage will pen the show’s scripts and that Witherspoon and her Hello Sunshine production company would executive produce. Show creator Laura Kittrell will act as showrunner and executive produce alongside Lauren Kisilevsky, Marc Platt and Lauren Neustadter. Amazon MGM Studios will also produce.
Casting for young Elle has yet to be announced. It is unknown if Witherspoon will make an appearance in the series.
