'Legally Blonde 3' is finally happening: Here's what we know

Reese Witherspoon first confirmed her return to the beloved franchise back in 2018, and ever since, fans have eagerly awaited updates on Legally Blonde 3.

Witherspoon previously shared her enthusiasm for the project, telling Entertainment Tonight in 2019: "She'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."

While Legally Blonde 3 is still in development, fans will also get a deeper look into Elle’s past with a prequel series.

During a January 2025 appearance on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, Witherspoon revealed her focus is currently on a prequel series that will explore Elle Woods’ high school years.

Last year, Deadline reported that the spinoff, titled Elle, is being developed by Amazon MGM Studios and Witherspoon’s production company, Hello Sunshine. Filming is set to begin in March 2025.

Mindy Kaling, who has been tapped to write Legally Blonde 3, shared insights into the story’s direction, telling Access Hollywood: “How Elle is at 40 versus how she was at 21 has been really fun to imagine. We have a lot of fan favorites from the original movie.”

In a 2022 interview with USA Today, Witherspoon expressed her hopes for the third film, saying she wants to get it right and bring nostalgia to the audience, much like Top Gun: Maverick.

"They waited a long time to make another version of that movie, and I loved the nostalgia piece they incorporated in it. 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."

With Legally Blonde 3 in development and Elle set to begin filming soon, it looks like Elle Woods’ legacy is far from over!