Reese Witherspoon gives an exciting Legally Blonde 3 film update
It seems like Legally Blonde 3 was announced an eternity ago now (yes, June 2018 really is an eternity), and we’ve been patiently waiting ever since for a trailer and teasers, behind the scene snippets and all that good stuff. But while it looks like filming hasn’t actually even started yet, Elle Woods Reese Witherspoon has dropped hints about who could be returning for the third instalment of the film.
"I love Jennifer Coolidge and Luke Wilson and Selma Blair and so there's so many great characters that people love," Reese previously told Entertainment Tonight.
Here’s everything else we know about Legally Blonde 3 so far:
What will happen in Legally Blonde 3?
Reese Witherspoon spoke to USA Today in July 2022 and explained she had taken inspiration from Tom Cruise's Top Gun: Maverick, in terms of combining a nostalgia element with a brand new story. "“I’m still hoping that Legally Blonde 3 is gonna come together in the right way,” she said.
"It’s just like Top Gun: they waited a long time to make another version of that movie, and I loved the nostalgia piece they incorporated in it. So definitely that gave us a lot of inspiration about what we would want to do with Elle Woods and make sure that we had all those same touchstones that mattered to people [back] then."
She continued, "I feel like these characters are my friends, so I safeguard them. I would never make the subpar, mediocre version of their story.”
In November 2021, MGM executive Pamela Abdy spoke to The Hollywood Reporter about some of the key themes for the film. “It’s really happening," she gushed. "Mindy Kaling and Dan [Goor] are writing it now for Reese [Witherspoon] to star.
"Reese and Lauren Neustadter are producing with Marc Platt. We’re all developing it together. What does Elle Woods look like at 40? Elle is a mum with a thriving career. We’re looking forward to seeing the script come in sometime in the first quarter [of 2022.]"
Mindy Kaling, who is co-writing the follow up film, has teased some details about the new film and upcoming production. "I love the franchise so much," she told Access Hollywood. "I love Elle Woods as a character. And when Reese [Witherspoon] asked me if I wanted to write it, I was like, 'Absolutely!'"
Teasing the potential storyline, she continued, "I can't wait to see what people think of the way we've written Elle Woods at 40. How Elle Woods is at 40 versus when she was 21 has been really fun to imagine."
Why has Legally Blonde 3 been delayed?
While Legally Blonde 3 was initially set to premiere in May 2022, the film has since been indefinitely delayed with no new release date.
Fans have, of course, been curious as to the reasons behind the delay. Now, scriptwriter Mindy Kaling has spoken out to explain why the project is taking longer than planned - and it's partly to do with Kaling and co-writer Dan Goor wanting to get the story right.
Speaking to TIME, Kaling explained, "We don’t want to be responsible for ruining what’s basically Reese’s Avengers franchise."
She went on to tease details over which questions she and co-writer Dan Goor are exploring in the script, saying, "What is Elle Woods like at 42? Does she end up becoming all the things she wanted? How does that personality manifest in a grown woman? Has she become more cynical? Her brightness and her cheerfulness really worked when she was 22, but how has life changed her perspective on things?"
Referencing Sex And The City reboot And Just Like That, Kaling said she found the show "uncomfortable to watch," adding, "I felt like I could commiserate with the producers and the writers of the show, trying to address all these issues from the past, and be funny and fabulous, but also sort of apologise for itself."
Going back to Legally Blonde 3, she went on, "The hardest thing about this project is trying to figure that out in an authentic way. Honestly, watching And Just Like That, and how they took a character from 18 years ago, and how the character was now - we want to make sure that Elle Woods is not paying penance for existing in the year 2022."
She added, "We’re not afraid of the character in this world, and we don’t feel we have to apologise for her. As a fan, I didn’t want to watch her be cancelled or become a Karen. So the character is just fun. That’s what’s been interesting and challenging - and why it’s taking us such a long time to write."
When was Legally Blonde 3 announced?
In June 2018, Reese revealed Legally Blonde 3 was in the works with an uh-mazing Instagram video of herself lounging on a pool float while dressed in a hot pink sequin bikini. "It’s true," she wrote alongside it because two words and a three-second clip is all she really needed to announce the return of such an iconic film.
Who will star in Legally Blonde 3?
When asked who she would like to see reprise their roles, Reese dropped the names of Jennifer Coolidge (Paulette Bonafonté), Luke Wilson (Emmett Richmond) and Selma Blair (Vivian Kensington). And it goes without saying that Reese will be back as Elle.
Meanwhile, Regina King (Grace Rossiter) and Matthew Davis (Warner) have both said they would also love a role in the new film.
What is Legally Blonde 3's expected release date?
Hollywood studio MGM announced on October 20, 2020 that Legally Blonde 3 would be hitting cinemas in May 2022. They wrote on Twitter, "Elle Woods is back! Legally Blonde 3 coming May 2022. We rest our case. #LegallyBlonde3 #ElleWoods @ReeseW."
However, the film has since been delayed further with no new release date.
Elle Woods is back! Legally Blonde 3 coming May 2022. We rest our case. #LegallyBlonde3 #ElleWoods @ReeseW pic.twitter.com/WnxI1YEfqD
— MGM Studios (@mgmstudios) October 20, 2020
Previously, at the New York premiere of Big Little Lies in 2019, Reese revealed they have "a script" though added "but we haven't shot anything". She told Entertainment Tonight: "[Elle's] a very beloved character. You just want her to go on a hero's journey like she does in the first movie, and I'm having a great time working on it."
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