Legally Blonde came out in 2001, and now, over 20 years later, we are about to see Legally Blonde 3. The new movie has been in the works for four years now. It began in June 2018, when Deadline announced Reese Witherspoon would reprise her role as Elle Woods – this time 20 years older and wiser. It was originally planned to release on Valentine’s Day 2020.
The film disappeared from headlines for about two years. In May 2020, Mindy Kaling and Parks & Rec writer Dan Goor were confirmed as writers for the script. Come 2021, Kaling mentioned in an interview that filming would be underway once Hollywood shutdowns were over.
So, here’s what to know about the film now.
Cast
Obviously, it was most important to make sure Reese Witherspoon was on board. No Elle Woods? No Legally Blonde. But, Reese has signed on, so this part has been achieved.
There’s a lot of talk about other returning cast members. There have been zero reports of anybody besides Witherspoon signing on. Kaling has talked about bringing back Jennifer Coolidge as Paulette Bonafonté. Luke Wilson has also made positive remarks about returning to the sequel if he’s offered the role. Holland Taylor, who played Professor Stromwell, was even excited in interviews about the possible idea of returning. However, until any of them sign a contract, none of this is confirmed. New characters are also unconfirmed.
Filming Updates
Other than Kaling’s last interview mentioning Jennifer Coolidge, there hasn’t been much talk of the movie despite the last announced release date set for May 2022. So what’s the problem? Lack of script. In an interview, Witherspoon said, “We’re working on the script right now, and when we have a script, we can make a movie.”
Plot
It’s hard to say what the plot will be other than checking on Elle 20 years later. Kaling said in an interview that she imagines where Elle would be today, “I think she’s, like, married to Emmett… They have a nice family going on.” Aside from that, we have to wait for a script.
Release Date
So far, it doesn’t look like Legally Blonde 3 is making its May 2022 date. The official website states a TBD release date sometime in 2023. When production begins, fans will know more about when that will be.
