Elle: release date, cast and everything we know about the Legally Blonde prequel TV show

Legally Blonde is an iconic early ’00s movie that made us believe it really could be that easy to get into Harvard after being crowned sorority queen, having the best friends and all while pursuing the man of our dreams.

I mean, I don’t think I’ve ever stopped trying to master the “bend, and snap!” And now, Elle the prequel spinoff TV show is on its way – arriving on Prime Video, one of the best streaming services, in mid-2026.

Sure, there’s been Legally Blonde 2 and Legally Blondes, but nothing has been quite as iconic as the first movie – arguably, not even close. Although, that may about to change.

Elle sees a young Elle Woods in her high school years, giving an insight into her earlier life. And it’s got the OG Elle magic behind it with Reese Witherspoon acting as executive producer alongside her own production company, Hello Sunshine.

Here’s everything we know so far about Elle from release date, confirmed cast, plot, trailer and more.

Spoilers to follow for Legally Blonde.

Elle: is there a release date?

There’s no specific Elle release date just yet, but there is a release window – and that’s sometime in mid-2026.

While Prime Video announced plans to produce a Legally Blonde prequel series last year, it followed up on May 12 during the Upfront presentation that Elle would be dropping on the streamer next “summer”. This likely refers to the northern hemisphere’s summer and so will be sometime from June to August.

And, as of April, Reese Witherspoon took to Instagram to announce: “Harvard was hard. High School was harder. Our new series, Elle, is now in production!”

I’ll be sure to update here when we get a more specific date to write on our calendar with our pink fluffy pen.

Elle: has a trailer been released?

With filming of Elle only commencing in April, there’s no official trailer to share. As is the case with most Prime Video shows, it’s most likely to drop in the months approaching the show’s release. So, check back here in the first half of 2026.

Elle: confirmed cast

There’s been a lot of announcements for the Elle cast, but none quite as big as Reese finding her Elle Woods. Here’s who we is so far confirmed to be starring in the Legally Blonde prequel:

• Lexi Minetree as Elle Woods
• June Diane Raphael as Eva, Elle’s mom
• Tom Everett Scot as Wyatt, Elle’s dad
• Gabrielle Policano as Liz
• Jacob Moskovitz as Miles
• Chandler Kinney as Kimberly
• Zac Looker as Dustin
• Jessica Belkin as Madison
• Logan Shroyer as Josh
• Amy Pietz as Donna
• Lisa Yamada as Amber
• Chloe Wepper as Ms. Burke
• David Burtka as Chad
• Brad Harder as Charlie
• Kayla Maisonet as Tiffany

As a prequel series, it seems pretty unlikely that any of the original Legally Blonde movies cast will return. Though I’d love to see Jennifer Coolidge’s Paulette one more time.

Instead, casting has been focused on finding the younger version of Reese Witherspoon’s Elle, of which there were an abundance of audition tapes. Lexi Minetree (Law & Order: SVU, The Murdaugh Murders) was given the titular role and, as seen in the Instagram post above, they’re eerily similar!

Elle: story synopsis and rumors

Full spoilers for Legally Blonde to follow.

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As the prequel spinoff TV show for Legally Blonde, Elle will reportedly head back in time to Elle Woods’ high school years, documenting her younger life before Harvard Law School.

As per the series official logline, it “follows Elle Woods in high school as we learn about the life experiences that shaped her into the iconic young woman we came to know and love in the first ‘Legally Blonde film.”

Speaking to Variety, Reese revealed: “Fans will get to know how Elle Woods navigated her world as a teenager with her distinct personality and ingenuity, in ways that only our beloved Elle could do.”

And, as Vernon Sanders, head of television at Amazon MGM Studios, calls it, viewers are being treated to Elle’s “origin story”.

In true Elle Woods’ fashion, Reese has been excitedly vocal and incredibly bubbly about the show’s arrival – taking to Instagram to share her delight.

And in a clip that Legally Blonde fans will recognize as a tribute to the opening credits of the original movie, Reese can be seen getting ready in bright pink with a top secret (and also pink) script.

The caption reads: “Before she became the most famous Gemini vegetarian to graduate from Harvard Law, she was just a regular ’90s high school girl. And all of you are going to get to know her, next year on Prime Video. I’m so excited!”

Will there be more seasons of Elle?

Considering Elle season 1 won’t be reaching Prime Video until mid-2026, there’s no news yet of a possible renewal.

As is the case with many new shows to streamers, it’ll likely rely on how well it performs once it hits the platform.

Though with the persuasive powers and adorable charm of Elle Woods behind it, I feel pretty confident that Legally Blonde fans and anyone new to the character will be eager for more to come.

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For more Prime Video TV-based coverage, read our guides on The Summer I Turned Pretty season 3, Mr and Mrs Smith season 2, The Rings of Power season 3, and Fallout season 2.