Legally Blonde Prequel Series Sets Summer 2026 Release — First Look At Prime Video's Elle
Before Capitol Hill, before Harvard and even before Delta Nu, there was simply... Elle.
Prime Video is currently in production on a Legally Blonde prequel series, chronicling Elle Woods' life in the years leading up to the events of the 2001 Reese Witherspoon film (and the 2003 sequel that we've all agreed never to discuss again), and now we've learned that it's set to premiere in Summer 2026.
Witherspoon made the announcement herself on Instagram, dropping another sneak peek at young Elle (Lexi Minetree) in action:
That's right, we're going back to high school to "learn about the life experiences that shaped [Elle] into the iconic young woman we came to know and love," according to the official logline.
The original Legally Blonde movie stars Witherspoon as Elle, a sorority sweetheart who studies her way into Harvard Law School to win back the guy of her dreams, only to discover that she's actually pretty good at this whole lawyer thing — and that guy's an idiot, anyway!
Series creator Laura Kittrell (Insecure) and Caroline Dries (The Vampire Diaries) serve as co-showrunners, executive-producing alongside Witherspoon, Lauren Neustadter, Lauren Kisilevsky and Marc Platt. Elle is also produced by Amazon MGM Studios and Witherspoon's Hello Sunshine.
Read on for a breakdown of everything we know about Elle so far, then drop a comment with your own hopes for Prime Video's Legally Blonde prequel series below.
Lexi Minetree as Elle Woods
Following an exhaustive casting search, newcomer Lexi Minetree scored the show's title role. Witherspoon broke the good news herself on Feb. 13 in an Instagram video.
Chandler Kinney as Kimberly
The star of Max's Pretty Little Liars reboot will play Kimberly, a "a sharp-tongued senior who is not a fan" of Elle.
Jacob Moskovitz as Miles
Moskovitz will play Miles, the school's star athlete who finds himself "charmed by Elle."
Gabrielle Policano as Liz
Policano's character is described as "the anti-Elle Woods."
June Diane Raphael as Elle's Mom
June Diane Raphael (Grace and Frankie) will portray Elle's mom, played on the big screen by Tana McClure, seen here to the right.
Tom Everett Scott as Elle's Dad
Tom Everett Scott (The Summer I Turned Pretty) will portray Elle's dad, played on the big screen by James Read, seen here to the right.
James Van Der Beek as Dean Wilson
The former Dawson's Creek star will recur in Elle's first season as Dean Wilson, the current school district superintendent and the city's new mayoral candidate.
Who Won't Appear on Elle?
Before you get too excited about seeing younger versions of your favorite Legally Blonde characters on the small screen, don't forget — because this show takes place before Elle went to college, much less law school, she won't be reuniting with anyone she met at Harvard. That means no Paulette (Jennifer Coolidge), no Vivian (Selma Blair) and no Emmett (Luke Wilson), to name just a few key characters.
Who Else Will Appear on Elle?
As for who we can expect to see on the show, that's where things get dicey. Since the show is set during Elle's high school years, it's safe to say we'll get a younger version of her dad (played in the movie by James Read), but it's a total mystery beyond that.
The movie doesn't specify how long Elle has known Warner (Matthew Davis), the jerk who dumps her at the beginning of Legally Blonde; it's possible that they knew each other before college, but he reeks of being raised on the east coast, so we doubt we'll see him in Elle's California high school.
The same question can be asked of Elle's sorority sisters Serena (Alanna Ubach) and Margot (Jessica Cauffiel). Did she meet them in college, or were they also high school besties?