Legally Blonde 3 Writer Mindy Kaling Gives Update on Sequel Status

With a tentative May 2022 release date and a screenwriting team in place, Legally Blonde 3 is a pretty well-prepared project considering the chaos that Hollywood has been thrown into since the COVID-19 pandemic started delaying production and release dates last March. The Office and The Mindy Project writer Mindy Kaling is set to write the film with Brooklyn Nine-Nine producer Dan Goor, and she gave a brief update on the status of the long-promised threequel during an interview with Access recently. Among the topics she touched on was exploring who Elle is at 40, versus her 21-year-old original self, and what Easter eggs and running gags will come back.

Kaling said that the ideal situation is still to shoot the film this year, with an eye toward a 2022 release, but that depends on factors outside of her control. Not only does she have to get the script approved by star and executive producer Reese Witherspoon, but they also have to figure out how to actually shoot a movie amid the shifting ground of the pandemic.

"I love the franchise so much," said Kaling. "I love Elle Woods as a character and when Reese asked me to write it I was like, 'Absolutely!'"

You can see the video below.

The series centers on Elle Woods, who in the first movie was a typical bubbly blonde college girl. When her boyfriend decided to leave her behind to go to Harvard Law School, Elle found herself motivated to go, too. Her grades and extracurriculars, plus a remarkable cover letter, were enough to get her in, kicking off a rivalry between Elle and the more traditional Harvard students who didn't think she belonged there...all while she found herself falling in love with another person entirely, becuase her boyfriend honestly kind of sucked.

At this point, very little is known about the sequel. It's likely that at least Selma Blair and Luke Wilson will appear in the movie. Neither is officially cast yet, but Wilson has said he hopes to be involved, and Witherspoon has cast her vote to bring Blair back in previous interviews. The trio were joined by a number of other former cast members in a virtual reunion for charity recently.

Based on the novel of the same name by Amanda Brown, Legally Blonde opened in theaters in 2001 and quickly became a hit, grossing $141 million at the global box office. It earned a 2003 sequel, Legally Blonde 2: Red, White & Blonde, as well as a 2009 direct-to-DVD spinoff Legally Blondes, and a Broadway musical titled Legally Blonde: The Musical