Reese Witherspoon crowns Lexi Minetree as young Elle Woods

Reese Witherspoon announced that Lexi Minetree will star as the young Elle Woods in the upcoming ‘Legally Blonde’ prequel series.

Reese Witherspoon and the new young Elle woods, played by Lexi Minetree. Image: Instagram via @templetalktv

Reese Witherspoon has revealed that Lexi Minetree will step into the pink shoes of a young Elle Woods for the upcoming Legally Blonde prequel series, Elle.

Witherspoon is the actress who charmed audiences as the original Elle Woods in the 2001 and 2003 films.

REESE WITHERSPOON AND ELLE

Witherspoon shared a heartwarming video on Instagram, capturing the moment she revealed the news to Minetree.

In the video, Witherspoon tells Minetree, “Your audition tape was amazing… and we wanted to tell you in person. You don’t have to audition anymore — because you got the part. You’re Elle Woods”.

Minetree, overcome with emotion, embraces Witherspoon before they call Minetree’s mother to share the joyous news, according to ABC.

REESE WITHERSPOON ON PICKING LEXI

Witherspoon exclaimed, “Isn’t it crazy? When I saw her tape I was like, are we the same person? This is so weird,”.

Minetree expressed her excitement on Instagram, writing that her “brain is going nuts”.

She thanked Witherspoon for “handing me down Elle Woods,”.

Minetree added, “I already love her so so much, I promise she’s in good hands. P.S. thank you for showing me how amazing I am going to look in the future, soooo looking forward to that”.

Amazon Prime Video announced the Legally Blonde prequel series in May 2024, according to E News.

THE LEGALLY BLONDE PREQUEL SERIES

The series, titled Elle, comes from Witherspoon’s media company, Hello Sunshine. Laura Kittrell created the series, which will explore Woods’ high school years.

The show will reveal the life experiences that shaped her into the iconic young woman we all adore. Witherspoon will also serve as an executive producer, according to Deadline.

“Viewers will get to experience how Elle Woods navigates her teenage world with her unique spirit and creativity” Witherspoon stated in a press release.

She added, “What could be better than that?!”.

WHAT THE SERIES WILL BE ABOUT

The series will depict Elle growing up in the ’90s. She will face her first romance and heartbreak while discovering her principles.

Though the series will focus on a younger Elle, Reese Witherspoon will play a significant role as executive producer.

Witherspoon said in January, “It’s quite a ride… It’s thrilling to see these young women brimming with enthusiasm and excitement.

AUDITION CANDIDATES

There are so many talented candidates, which made the decision tough”. Witherspoon wanted to approach any continuation of Legally Blonde with great care.

“These characters feel like friends to me, so I protect them,” she told USA Today in 2022. “I would never want to create a subpar or mediocre version of their story”.