WEEK IN WOMEN: Laura Kittrell’s LEGALLY BLONDE prequel ELLE premiers on Prime in 240 countries – Brandy McDonnell reports
Creator Laura Kittrell’s Elle, the highly anticipated series prequel to the Legally Blonde movie franchise will premiere on July 1 exclusively on Prime Video in more than 240 countries and territories worldwide. The prequel to the will follow a younger version of Elle Woods, the beloved cinematic character famously originated by Reese Witherspoon. Ahead of the series’ debut, Prime Video has already ordered a second season of Elle.
Kittrell’s impressive credits include working with Issa Rae as a writer on all five seasons of HBO’s “Insecure,” a dramatic comedy series looking at the friendship of two modern-day Black women and all of their tribulations. Alongside the rest of the writing staff there, Kittrell won a Peabody Award and an NAACP Image Award and was nominated for a Primetime Emmy for best comedy series. She went on to work as a writer and executive producer on Amazon Studios’ High School, and she has written on the shows Black Monday, Downward Dog and The Comedians.
“Elle captures the heart, confidence, and optimism that made Elle Woods an enduring cultural icon, while giving audiences a fresh and deeply personal coming-of-age story,” said Peter Friedlander, global head of television for Amazon MGM Studios. “Ordering a second season speaks to our belief in the creative vision and the incredible team behind the series, and we’re excited for audiences to experience Elle’s journey starting with Season 1.”
In the first season, the show follows the title character as a high school student, revealing the life experiences that shaped her into the iconic young woman audiences came to know and love in the first Legally Blonde film. The debut season of “Elle” stars Lexi Minetree as Elle Woods.
“Twenty-five years after the world met Elle Woods for the first time, it’s a dream come true to share the story of how she became the unstoppable force we all fell in love with,” said Witherspoon.
In the 2001 movie Legally Blonde, Witherspoon first played Elle Woods as a vivacious Los Angeles sorority president who gets dumped by her snobby boyfriend (Matthew Davis) and decides to win him back by following him to Harvard Law School. The comedic film co-stars Luke Wilson, Selma Blair, Linda Cardellini, Holland Taylor, Victor Garber and Jennifer Coolidge.
The cinematic sequel, 2003’s Legally Blonde 2: Red, White & Blonde, follows Elle, now an attorney, after she is fired by her law firm because of her opposition to animal testing and takes her fight to Washington, D.C. Along with Witherspoon, the second film stars Wilson, Coolidge, Sally Field, Bob Newhart, Regina King, Bruce McGill and Dana Ivey.
“Elle” is co-showrun and executive produced by Kittrell and Caroline Dries. Witherspoon, Lauren Neustadter, and Marc Platt and Amanda Brown also serve as executive producers. Jason Moore (Pitch Perfect) directed the first two episodes of the first season and also serves as an executive producer. Continue reading on THE WEEK IN WOMEN.
