It’s time for fans and aspiring starlets to break out their best pink blazers, because the Legally Blonde prequel series happening at Prime Video is now on the hunt for the person who will portray its young Elle Woods. Announced earlier this year, the prequel – simply titled Elle – will look to “follow 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.”
Per an Instagram post from series star Reese Witherspoon (who serves as executive producer on the prequel through her Hello Sunshine banner), casting is now wide open for anyone who wants to toss their name into the hat for a shot at portraying her younger self. She encourages people looking for their big break to send in their audition tapes via a link in her bio, adding in the caption, “I’m SO excited to see all your fabulous takes on everyone’s favorite Gemini vegetarian.” Check out Witherspoon’s full post below.
What Elle’s Open Casting Call Means for the Prequel Series
Premiering in 2001, Legally Blonde became a box office sensation for MGM, earning $141 million dollars against its small budget of $18 million. Its offbeat premise of a sorority girl-turned lawyer was a hit with both audiences and critics, and is lauded to this day for inspiring a generation of young women to pursue their own dreams of practicing law.
Elle will once more look to strike a chord with viewers, as the series created by Laura Kittrell will peel back even more layers of Woods to expose her tragedies and triumphs as she navigates high school, something that anyone – male or female – can relate to. Whether or not it will have the same cultural impact as Legally Blonde remains to be seen, but Witherspoon is excited to be working on the series nonetheless, calling it at the time of the announcement a dream come true.
“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!”
With Elle holding an open casting call to find its lead, it shows a level of commitment between all involved that they want to do right by the Legally Blonde franchise, and secure the best person for the job rather than just hand it to an A-list star that could potentially bring a lot of eyeballs (and subscribers) to Prime Video. The fact that they’re willing to take a chance on a virtual unknown bodes well for the process, which appears to be very late in the pre-production stage before cameras start rolling. Watch this space for more news on Elle, including who its stars will be, and when it’s expected to be released.
Legally Blonde
1 & 2 are available to stream on Max.