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Will Reese Witherspoon be in 'Elle'? 'Legally Blonde' actress teases possible spin-off appearance

Reese Witherspoon is both emotional and ecstatic about passing the torch to Lexi Minetree, who will play Elle Woods in the series

'Elle,' the prequel of the cult classic 'Legally Blonde,' is all set to release on July 1, 2026, on Prime Video. Reese Witherspoon, who famously played the titular ditzy blonde, will serve as executive producer for the series, which will follow Elle Woods during her high school days. The Academy Award winner has handpicked her successor, Lexi Minetree, and has lauded the newbie for her performance. Several loyal fans, though, are secretly hoping that Witherspoon reprises her role, and were elated when the actress did not completely rule out the possibility in a recent interview with Extra TV. On being asked about the possibility of "future Elle" (Witherspoon herself) making an appearance in the prequel, the actress replied, “You know, I would love to do it again. To me, it’s like, I don’t know, it’s like, it’s my superhero. So it’s like my Marvel character. I would love to play her again.” However, the condition was that the circumstances needed to be "perfect."

Witherspoon will only play the iconic character if the show's narrative demands it. She referenced Tom Cruise and Adam Sandler as she spoke about their characters in 'Top Gun' and 'Happy Gilmore.' Their appearances weren't fan service; they were pivotal to the stories. Witherspoon envisions something like this for her version of Elle Woods. "Like, that amount of thought. So we’re gonna get there," she added. In the interview, the actress also shared why she and her team developed the project. While many felt the prequel was unnecessary, she explained, "I said we should take this moment to really see who would Elle Woods have been in high school. What were her values and principles that made her this ambitious young woman?" 

The actress shared that 'Wednesday's' success, as well as the dominance of 90s nostalgia in media, made her confident about the project. Prime Video seems to think the same, as the show has already been renewed for another season. Witherspoon recently celebrated the movie's 25th anniversary with former co-stars Jennifer Coolidge, Selma Blair, Ali Larter, Matthew Davis, and Victor Garber. She said playing the character was the "privilege of her life." “People come up to me, and they tell me stories about how they go to law school because of her, or they named their daughter Elle, or they overcame some incredible challenge in their life because she did that,” Witherspoon said. “She went through this experience of feeling like everybody was looking down on her or judged her, and I don’t know a person on Earth who hasn’t felt like an underdog in some situation.”

Witherspoon is both emotional and ecstatic about passing the torch to Minetree. Witherspoon loved her audition, but it was only after her heart-to-heart with Minetree that she zeroed in on her. Witherspoon wanted Minetree to understand how important Elle is for young girls and the responsibility she is taking on by portraying the character. “So, I wanna say on top of being this incredibly disciplined, talented young woman, she has such a beautiful heart. And she told me things about her life and her family and things that just showed me her character, and I just could not be more proud to pass the baton or the pink torch to Lexi Minetree as the new Elle Woods. I love you so much. You have no idea. I’m just so proud of you,” Witherspoon shared at the Reunion Event. Along with Minetree, the prequel series will also star Zac Looker, Jacob Moskovitz, Chandler Kinney, Gabrielle Policano, Tom Everett Scott, and June Diane Raphael.