By Robert Yaniz Jr.
Amid last week’s flurry of new trailers, one news story that got lost in the shuffle of exciting new footage for upcoming releases like Bumblebee and Halloween was the revelation that apparently Reese Witherspoon is returning for Legally Blonde 3. Wait, what?
It’s true. After 15 years of absence from the big screen, sorority-sister-turned-Harvard-law-student Elle Woods is coming back. Promisingly, Kirsten “Kiwi” Smith and Karen McCullah — screenwriters of the first film — are in talks to write the screenplay for the new installment, which also has producer Marc Platt returning to shepherd it. No word just yet on whether Legally Blonde director Robert Luketic is being eyed to return as well or if he is still in director’s jail for his epic 2013 misfire Paranoia.
Of course, Witherspoon headlined not only the original 2001 fish-out-of-water comedy but also the forgettable sequel two years later. And since then, the Legally Blonde franchise, as it were, has consisted of only a direct-to-video spinoff, 2009’s Legally Blondes, and a stage musical currently touring throughout the United States. To the latter’s point, it appears to be a hot time to revive the Legally Blonde film series. But Witherspoon is an Oscar winner who is experiencing a new career high now courtesy of Big Little Lies. Doesn’t an Elle Woods encore feel like a step backwards at this point?
Perhaps. Although the sequel only earned slightly less than the first film, Legally Blonde 2: Red, White and Blonde — which, as its dreadful title implies, saw Elle head to Washington, D.C. — was easily considered an underwhelming follow-up and yet another example of why most comedies don’t really need sequels. Many stars would see returning to a franchise at this point beneath them, which makes Witherspoon’s interest even more surprising. However, the second film’s ending did tease Elle’s political aspirations, potentially opening up an exciting story arc for Legally Blonde 3.
Not to get into the politics of it all (look literally anywhere else online if you want to hear more about all that), but it’s easy to see Elle braving a presidential run in the face of injustice. Assuming the film is set in real time with its predecessors, Elle would have many years of legal experience by this point and, like Witherspoon, be the perfect age to run for office. Taking her unorthodox approach to the law directly into the White House would open up a world of comedic possibilities and, more importantly, present a timely angle to reinvigorate the franchise.
In light of recent events regarding women’s rights and the #MeToo movement, it feels right that female empowerment is said to be at the heart of the proposed third Legally Blonde film. After all, that theme has run through the franchise from day one. Remember that Elle even had to fend off the advances of a particularly forward professor in the first film. So the ever-virtuous Elle would absolutely be looking to make a difference if the world of Legally Blonde at all reflects what is currently going on in ours. In short, maybe Elle’s idealism is exactly what we need. Witherspoon’s decision to return to the series — this time, also as a producer — especially makes sense if she truly has something to say.
Given that we know nothing of the plot of Legally Blonde 3, this is all purely speculation at this point. Certainly, a return to the franchise could prove to be rewarding if it’s done just right and, in turn, might trigger a full-on wave of 2000s nostalgia along with it. Recent releases like Ocean’s 8 and Incredibles 2 have already hinted that the age of 2000s redux is upon us, but resurrecting a film franchise many thought had been left distinctly in its own time could be the tipping point. If Legally Blonde 3 hits, it just might turn out to be a calculating move of Tracy Flick proportions.
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