Mindy Kaling dishes on how 'Legally Blonde 3' is progressing

Elle Woods at 40? Mindy Kaling is excited to reveal that in ‘Legally Blonde 3’

Jan. 11, 2021 1:02 PM PT

When we last saw Elle Woods, she was driving away from her wedding in a pastel pink cabriolet, following the successful passage of anti-animal testing legislation in Congress.

“OK, now that we’re married, where do you want to live?” asked her ever-supportive husband, Emmett played by Luke Wilson. “Beverly Hills? Boston? Washington?”

Elle, at the driver’s seat, smiled ambitiously. “I think I know just the place,” she said, before turning her gaze to the White House and winking at the camera.

Did Elle, portrayed by Reese Witherspoon, make it to the Oval Office? Are she and Emmett still together? Did she have children?

Nearly two decades since the franchise’s last film, 2003’s “Legally Blonde 2: Red, White & Blonde,” audiences will finally find out.

Announced in May, “Legally Blonde 3,” cowritten by Mindy Kaling and “Brooklyn Nine-Nine” co-creator Dan Goor, will show us how the French-manicured Harvard Law School graduate has fared. And one of the things that most excites Kaling is how audiences will respond to a more mature version of its lead character.

“I can’t wait to see what people think,” Kaling, who also co-created Netflix’s “Never Have I Ever,” said in a recent interview with Access. “How Elle Woods is at 40 versus when she was 21 has been really fun to imagine.”

On social media, fans continue to celebrate that Witherspoon, whose production company, Hello Sunshine, is behind the forthcoming film, will reprise her iconic role.

The franchise, which began in 2001 and has grossed $266 million worldwide, continues to inspire young people — whether it’s to pursue higher education or simply push through the pandemic in hopes of seeing the new film in theaters.

Fan favorites like the “bend and snap”— a move guaranteed to attract a love interest’s attention — will make a comeback, Kaling promised.

As for a release date, fans will have to be patient. “I don’t know when we’ll be able to shoot movies again,” said Kaling, noting that COVID-19 has upended production plans across Hollywood. “But, if Reese likes the script, shooting it this year would be awesome.”

It remains unclear whether Bruiser, Elle Woods’ beloved chihuahua, will be in “Legally Blonde 3.” The canine who portrayed him died in 2016.