The casting process for Prime Video‘s Legally Blonde prequel series, Elle, is currently underway — and Reese Witherspoon has a difficult decision ahead of her regarding who will next don her iconic hot pink two-piece and assume ownership of Bruiser the Chihuahua.
Appearing on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon to promote You’re Cordially Invited, her R-rated comedy opposite Will Ferrell, The Morning Show star gave an update to the show’s movement and how its formation came about.
Witherspoon said she was first inspired to explore the idea of a prequel series through viewing Netflix’s Wednesday, starring Jenna Ortega as the macabre teen at boarding school: “I loved it, I watched every episode, I thought it was amazing.”
She continued, “I was like, ‘We should do Elle Woods in high school,’ because I wanted to see who she was before college, before law school, and I started having all these ideas, and these amazing writers came up with a great pitch and now Amazon is making the show and it’s called Elle.”
“And now, I have to pick a girl to play the young me,” the Hello Sunshine producer said, adding that there are “so many” audition tapes “and it’s so fun to watch.”
“I just love them all so much and they’re doing such a good job,” she said, noting that the auditioning process has changed drastically from the casting office days to the remote format now, where prospective stars have to shoot, produce and costume their own video for consideration.
“But they’re killing it, and now it’s a really hard decision,” she concluded.
Witherspoon also previewed the process to People, revealing that the project will commence principal photography in March and that her involvement in the casting is “kind of a trip.”
Announced by Deadline exclusively last May, Elle is created by Laura Kittrell (Insecure) and follows Woods in high school, before she goes on to dominate the hallowed grounds of Harvard Law School. The project is in addition to another spinoff series hailing from Gossip Girl duo Josh Schwartz and Stephanie Savage. Not to mention, there’s the long-gestating Legally Blonde 3, with Mindy Kaling and Dan Goor set to write.
Watch the full interview below:
